Budget will cut 331 job positions, including teachers
By Matt McClure, Calgary Herald
CALGARY - Class sizes at Calgary’s public schools are set to grow come September after trustees approved a budget Tuesday that will cut hundreds of jobs — including the positions of 171 frontline teachers — even as enrolment rises.
Despite exhausting its rainy day reserves and dramatically hiking some fees it charges parents, chairwoman Pat Cochrane said the Calgary Board of Education couldn’t spare students and teachers from sharing the pain as it sought to balance its books despite a $61.7-million shortfall.
“There’s a lot of human beings who won’t be working with our kids next year,” Cochrane said.
“We may be very close to the breaking point.”
Read more here.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
CBE funding of charitable trust draws fire amid staff cuts
An education watchdog is questioning the Calgary Board of Education’s $750,000-a-year grant to its charitable trust when the district is eliminating the jobs of hundreds of teachers and support staff.
Larry Leach, president of the Association for Responsive Trusteeship in Calgary Schools, said trustees need to take a hard look at their continued support of EducationMatters in light of the board’s budget constraints.
“They need to scrutinize every dollar they’re spending that doesn’t directly impact students in classrooms,” Leach said.
“If you want to maintain class sizes in these mean times, something has to give.”
The full story is available for reading here.
Larry Leach, president of the Association for Responsive Trusteeship in Calgary Schools, said trustees need to take a hard look at their continued support of EducationMatters in light of the board’s budget constraints.
“They need to scrutinize every dollar they’re spending that doesn’t directly impact students in classrooms,” Leach said.
“If you want to maintain class sizes in these mean times, something has to give.”
The full story is available for reading here.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
No More Grades on Report Cards?
Imagine getting a report card where the only assessment is: Established, Emerging, or Developing.No A's or B's, no 5's or 4's, no 72.5% just one of those three words and some teacher comments. That is exactly how a school Division in Parkland (west of Edmonton) has reportedly decided they will grade students from now on.
Alberta Prime Time recently had a short panel discussion about this issue. Watch the video here. Proponents on the panel include Eryn Kelly who is co-president of the Calgary Association of Parents and School Councils. She argues that this system is a good assessment technique. Alternatively, Michael Zwaagstra an Associate Researcher for the Frontier Center, feels the three positive assessors are too vague and may limit motivation for your student to do better.
What do you think: would you rather see a percentage mark/grade or 'emerging' on a report card? Are we being too careful with our student's esteem?
Monday, June 20, 2011
The Horrors do it again!
Attempting to repeat last year's success, the Haultain Horrors (Craig Mason, Trevor Barkley, Patrick Murphy, Shane Campsall, Kevin Rochon, Mike Skinner and Nick Newton) took to the streets this past weekend at the Deerfoot Mall in northeast Calgary, where the 2011 version of CBC and Hockey Night in Canada's "Play On" 4 on 4 street hockey tournament took place.
The intrepid Horrors endured horrific cold and wet weather conditions on Saturday, as well as aggressive, physical opponents - and scraped enough wins together to make it to the final on Sunday.
Having battled through to the finals, the Horrors stickhandled their way through adversity, scoring a triumphant win over the Calgary Chiefs to win this year's tournament "Legends" division title.
The intrepid Horrors endured horrific cold and wet weather conditions on Saturday, as well as aggressive, physical opponents - and scraped enough wins together to make it to the final on Sunday.
Having battled through to the finals, the Horrors stickhandled their way through adversity, scoring a triumphant win over the Calgary Chiefs to win this year's tournament "Legends" division title.
Congratulations, Horrors!
“The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side”
- Margaret Carty
“The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side”
- Margaret Carty
Thursday, June 16, 2011
How Red Deer public school board keeps administration costs low
To understand how Red Deer’s public school board keeps its administration costs so low, it may be useful to know that its chief superintendent drives a 17-year-old Ford Explorer with an odometer that’s long since rolled past 300,000 kilometres.
“Staff laugh at me and mock me when I drive up at a school,” Piet Langstraat says. “I guess it reflects my view that whether it’s taxpayer’s money or your own, you shouldn’t be wasting it on luxuries, especially during hard times.”
From its total budget of $101 million this year, the Red Deer Public School district will spend just 2.7 per cent on administration, while devoting 81.6 per cent of its budget to instruction.
Read the full story here.
“Staff laugh at me and mock me when I drive up at a school,” Piet Langstraat says. “I guess it reflects my view that whether it’s taxpayer’s money or your own, you shouldn’t be wasting it on luxuries, especially during hard times.”
From its total budget of $101 million this year, the Red Deer Public School district will spend just 2.7 per cent on administration, while devoting 81.6 per cent of its budget to instruction.
Read the full story here.
Calgary schools carry higher administration cost burden than most in Alberta: Analysis
By Matt McClure, Calgary Herald
Calgary’s public and separate school boards spend a bigger proportion of their scarce finances on top officials and trustees than most other large school districts in Alberta, according to a Herald analysis of board budgets.
The Calgary Board of Education would save $10.5 million and the Calgary Catholic School District could trim $4.8 million if they spent as little on administration as the most frugal of their provincial counterparts.
Read more here.
Calgary’s public and separate school boards spend a bigger proportion of their scarce finances on top officials and trustees than most other large school districts in Alberta, according to a Herald analysis of board budgets.
The Calgary Board of Education would save $10.5 million and the Calgary Catholic School District could trim $4.8 million if they spent as little on administration as the most frugal of their provincial counterparts.
Read more here.
Parents debate Wi-Fi in Calgary schools
(From the CBC website)
The benefits of wireless internet outweigh any potential health risks to students, say some Calgary parents.
Edmonton's public school board is taking a second look at the safety of Wi-Fi after a report by the World Health Organization that reclassified electromagnetic fields from wireless internet and cell phones as possible causes of cancer.
Read the full article here.
The benefits of wireless internet outweigh any potential health risks to students, say some Calgary parents.
Edmonton's public school board is taking a second look at the safety of Wi-Fi after a report by the World Health Organization that reclassified electromagnetic fields from wireless internet and cell phones as possible causes of cancer.
Read the full article here.
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