ST. PAUL – St. Paul Education (SPERD) has confirmed it has been seeing more students away due to illness. And the school division continues to encourage students and staff to stay at home if they are ill.
Staying home “can significantly reduce outbreaks and decrease disruptions to learning that occur when large numbers of students and staff at a school become ill,” according to Bridget Severin, counselling and communications coordinator at SPERD, in a statement provided to Lakeland This Week.
“If a child becomes sick at school, a staff member will call the parent to pick up their child so that they may rest comfortably at home and reduce the risk of infecting others,” said Severin.
She also encourages parents to dial 811 or visit albertahealthservices.ca/heal for additional support. Parents can also check out SPERD’s Too Sick for School Infographic for guidance on whether they should send their children to school or not.
According to Severin, SPERD is also committed to “cleaning our schools on a daily basis,” and “working with Alberta Health Services (AHS) when large numbers of students are absent due to illness.”
Severin explained that schools must alert AHS if the absent rate is above 10 per cent.
Town of St. Paul franchise fees
During the Nov. 9 regular board of trustees meeting, Secretary-Treasurer Jean Champagne recommended the division look at possible exemptions from the increase to APEX and ATCO franchise fees recently approved by the Town of St. Paul.
In September, Town of St. Paul council agreed to proceed with a two per cent increase on the ATCO franchise fees, and a five per cent increase on the APEX franchise fees, resulting in about $4/month increase on each utility bill for the average resident, according to information presented by Town administration at a council meeting.
“Schools are exempt from property tax, but not from municipally set local utility access fees,” according to Champagne, following last week’s board of trustees meeting.
“Local access fees charged to utilities are used by municipalities to generate revenue,” stated Champagne. “In reality, they are another form of taxation, but show up on monthly utility bills instead of the annual property tax bill.”
“The school division pays over $26,000 in access fees to local municipalities and questions if these charges don't go against the intent of the schools' tax exemption,” he stated, adding, SPERD’s board agreed to raise the issue with “local MLAs and through the Alberta School Boards Association.”
During discussions at a Sept. 26 Town of St. Paul council meeting, Mayor Maureen Miller stated specifically the franchise fee increase would spread the load out among all groups, including schools and provincial facilities, for example.
SPERD hiring school bus drivers
Champagne reported to the board that a school bus driver shortage is ongoing. According to Champagne, the bus driver shortage is causing the cancellation of some routes due to illness, and sometimes there are no replacements.
While there are substitutes, he said, “It’s still very challenging,” and he publicly asked families for their understanding.
To mitigate the impact on schools and students, Champagne said SPERD continues its ongoing efforts to recruit more bus drivers.
So, “we’re recruiting if anyone’s interested,” said Champagne. Interested individuals can call 780-645-3323.
Champagne also said four new drivers have been hired, and three drivers are in training, “so that will help.”
He also encouraged parents to download the Alertus App. According to the SPERD website, the app provides “proactive communication with families, schools, and our public,” which includes communicating with families when there are unexpected bus cancellations.
Science fair update
Keith Gamblin, assistant superintendent, updated the board about the exploration of a science fair to be put on alongside St. Paul and District STEM and STEAM (SPDSS), a technology-based community organization.
Gamblin said the science fair is in the process of being organized and will be held on the last week of February in 2023. He said multiple schools expressed interest in participating and the science fair is open to all St. Paul Education students.
Projects for the science fair would be completed independently, outside of regular schoolwork. Gamblin added that the science fair is a “great opportunity” for students to be involved with science-related projects.
*With files from Janice Huser
