While the Â鶹´«Ã½AV East Cornerstone School Division will be getting $200,000 cut from their provincial funding source this year, their extrapolated losses are even greater.
The trustees attending the school division's regular monthly business meeting April 21, said that what the division will be receiving is about $1.3 million less than what they had been expecting based on previous temporary funding models.
Some trustees, administration and staff had met with Education Ministry officials at a bi-annual conference just recently and had impressed them with the work that had already been done and the vision they have shown plus the degree of enthusiasm that had been displayed.
"They were impressed with our use of technology," said director Marc Casavant.
But with the forecasted cuts of over $1.3 million from what was expected in the division's $100 million budget, the trustees are left wondering what they can do next to keep the division moving forward, not back.
Estevan trustee Janet Foord said she didn't perceive a disconnect with the ministry or other agencies including professional development and that there were visible team efforts being made by Cornerstone to move programs on.
Weyburn trustee Len Williams said he thought the staff presentations were excellent and "we brought it up with the ministry about the loss of funding and so far the lack of transparency and predictability hurts. We'll have to trim to meet the new financial model and we don't know where we're going in the long term with regards to financing. Yet they're praising us for our forward thinking, so we have tough decisions to make regarding programming."
Subdivision 5 trustee Audrey Trombley said, "we need to meet with Donna Harpauer (education minister) sooner, not later. We've already been cut $1.3 million, and it looks like more cuts later. I know they're trying to phase the new funding formula in, but the writing is on the wall and we're one of five, once again that will be asked to make difficult decisions. We'll have to make sure we have capital funding for pre-kindergarten programs that are being introduced."
Trombley suggested that the trustees work up a list of questions they would have for Harpauer and submit them before the meeting so that "she can come prepared to answer them. And since the new funding formula won't be released until next March, I won't go into my rant until later."
Casavant said it was "tough to make long range plans because it's so difficult to know where their (ministry's) viability in funding is right now."
Estevan trustee Pam Currie added that "I know it will be tough. We can't jeopardize the positive things that have been done and that are being done." She pointed to such progessive projects as the early childhood intervention program, and data collection and use in and for the schools, as elements that could come under the gun if funding is reduced.
Near the end of the discussion, a motion was passed to request that a letter be sent to the education minister requesting a meeting and that Trombley's suggestion of submitting questions that they would expect answers to, be sent to Harpauer before the meeting, if one can be scheduled.
