ST. PAUL - St. Paul Education is moving ahead with reducing the number of trustees that sit on the board from seven to six.
The issue was brought up during the Oct.14 board meeting. While the board can change its ward boundaries, a change in the number of trustees must be requested to the Minister of Education according to the Education Act, said Secretary-Treasurer Jean Champagne.
There has been a vacancy on the board since May of 2019, and the board has been working with six trustees since that time.
"The board is continuing to examine ward restructuring prior to the next municipal election in October 2021," said Board Chair Heather Starosielski, after the meeting. "In recent years, the negative economic climate has necessitated that the board explore all areas for efficiencies and savings. With the vacancy that occurred in Ward B after a trustee resignation, it made sense for us to explore this as an option, to address some of our declining rural population and to look at our own efficiencies as a board."
A motion to move forward with sending a letter to the minister to request approval with reducing the number of trustees was carried.
The next step will be to form a bylaw with the proposed boundaries and number of trustees, said Starosielski.
"The board will be contacting local stakeholders to allow time for questions and comments before the Dec. 31 deadline," she added.
It was also noted there is still room for a First Nations trustee to be appointed to the board, if surrounding First Nations communities choose to do so.
Superintendent's update
When giving his monthly report, Superintendent Glen Brodziak discussed the most recent update from Alberta Health Services (AHS) that lists the five core symptoms that require a student to stay home for 10 days, or get a COVID-19 test. If the student gets a negative test result, they can return to school when they are feeling better, explained Brodziak.
If a student has even one of the five core symptoms, they are encouraged to get tested. The core symptoms are: fever, cough, shortness of breath, runny nose and sore throat. Individuals with any of the five symptoms are required to self-isolate for 10 days, unless they get a negative test result, and also feel better.
"We're all learning this together," said Brodziak, when speaking about the changing guidelines.
When speaking about parent feedback in relation to measures in place due to COVID, Brodziak said overall parents have been "absolutely amazing" and "respectful" of the guidelines.
Trustee Ruven Rajoo said he had heard feedback from parents in the Two Hills area, stating they were appreciative with how flexible the school division has been with students going between at-home learning back to in-class learning.
And while there have been added costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some cost savings have also been noted - specifically in the budget for trustees. Meetings being held virtually and less travel and registration costs have resulted in significant cost savings, said Secretary-Treasurer Jean Champagne.
CMR funding
St. Paul Education has approved its submission to the Capital Maintenance Renewal program. While the division doesn't know what it could be approved for this round, the last round saw the division receive $1 million in funding.
The submission for this round totals $3 million, said Champagne. A roof replacement at New Myrnam School, new windows at Elk Point Elementary, work to the parking lot at St. Paul Elementary, various lighting improvements, and more is included in the submission list.
Awards
Board achievement awards will continue to be handed out, despite how the 2019/20 school year wrapped up due to the cancellation of classes. Grade 12 students with the highest average at each school receive $300, with the average being determined by the same standards as the Alexander Rutherford Scholarship.
For Grade 6 ad 9 students, discretion is given to individual schools when determining award recipients. There was some concern expressed at the school level due to the shift to online learning in March, and no achievement tests taking place last school year, heard the board.
A recommendation to let decisions continue to be made at the school level was put forward. Some temporary criteria may be put in place, and will be communicated to parents. Since the board decided not to vary from its usual procedure, a motion was not required. Students who get the award in Grade 6 receive $100, and students in Grade 9 receive $200 with the award.
