Victoria Park High School. (Supplied by Lethbridge School Division)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge School Division hosting town hall to prioritize spending

Feb 4, 2020 | 2:42 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Families who have students attending Lethbridge’s public schools, as well as members of the public, are invited to give their feedback on spending priorities.

Board Chair Clark Bosch says this comes a month or two ahead of the Government of Alberta’s expected spring budget.

“I think the plan for us is to be prepared and have some kind of a game plan. I don’t know what kind of a curveball the provincial budget will throw us – hopefully, it’s not as bad as it could be – and if that happens then we have to make cuts. We can’t run a deficit budget, that’s against the law.”

In the United Conservative Party’s first budget in October 2019, the amount of money that was being spent on the main K-12 education fund was retained. However, steep cutbacks were announced for areas like capital spending, the classroom improvement fund, and reductions for the class size and school fees grants were made.

It remains to be seen what the next budget could potentially mean for primary and secondary schools.

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“The dream is that the funding won’t be cut to us, but that might just be a dream so we’re gonna be focused on being ready for when the budget comes down.”

Bosch says the school board will start the town hall meeting by explaining how the current funding model works, including how money is specifically allocated to certain funds like infrastructure or staffing.

From there, they hope to hear from the public on their spending priorities and other ideas regarding finances.

The rest of the evening will be dedicated to group discussions and sharing.

The Town Hall takes place at Victoria Park High School on Tuesday, February 11 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

If you would like to take part, you are encouraged to contact the Lethbridge School Division’s Executive Assistant LeeAnne Teddler at leeanne.tedder@lethsd.ab.ca