Budget information from Karen Drummond

2013-14 CBE budget
Since the provincial budget was announced on March 7, administration has had some opportunity to review what it means for the Calgary Board of Education in more detail. There is still more work to be done, but our preliminary analysis has revealed our budget is worse than it initially seemed to be.

No matter what decisions are made in response to the budget, know two things:

1. Maximizing the dollars directed to students in classrooms remains a top priority; and
2. We will still move forward in spite of the budget. The CBE is one of the best public education systems in the world. We are committed to the best possible learning for our students today while continuing to advance our practice for the future.

Staying informed about budget
As a school council member, you play an important role in sharing information with your school communities. It is important for you to know that the CBE is making budget information available in the following ways:

·         A budget web page has been developed, where we will post all the information relevant to budget as it becomes available.
·         That web page has a place for parents and members of the public to share their thoughts and ideas.
·         Important news will also be shared via the RSS feed. This sends a message directly to subscribers and also posts the information on school websites. You can subscribe by clicking on the RSS feed link here.

We are making every effort to share information with parents in a timely way. Whatever you can do to make parents at your school aware of how they can access budget information is much appreciated.

Transportation fees to remain flat

The CBE made an announcement today that the CBE will keep student transportation fees flat for 2013-14.

To read more about this and share your ideas, visit the CBE budget web page at: http://www.cbe.ab.ca/new/budget2013-14/.