SCHOOL BUDGET SET

The Red Deer Public School District is hoping to maintain the status quo on
class sizes with its 2004-05 budget.

"We're hopeful we'll keep all the staff we've got," said school board chair
Cindy Jefferies.

"It's a very tight budget. There's isn't a lot of wiggle room."

School trustees approved the $71.3 million draft budget on Wednesday.

Now, school administrators must determine September staffing according to
the per-pupil funding they receive.

The actual increase in education funding has been up for debate.

Red Deer public school officials consider a one-time grant of $332,000 for
classroom resources and $1.1 million announced last November by Alberta
Learning to deal with immediate cost pressures to be part of their 2003-04
funding.

As a result, the district says the increase to instructional funding is
$817,000 or 1.45 per cent. Continuous cost increases mean that won't go as
far as the district would like, added associate superintendent Deb Beck.

Alberta Learning, on the other hand, views the $1.4 million as part of the
2004-05 budget, giving the district a $2.6 million increase or 4.13 per
cent. Either way, the district has received $4,963 per pupil for Grade 1 to
9, and $141 per credit earned for Grade 10 to 12 students. Credit funding
for Grade 10 was reduced by the government, but has since been reinstated.

Jefferies said no matter how the funding is interpreted, it still means the
status quo.

"What matters is what is going to be happening in our classrooms in the
fall. Our expectations were much higher compared to what we received in
funding," Jefferies said. "We hoped we would be hiring staff and addressing
class size."

"We've been talking about class size for a number of years. We were hoping
we'd make great strides."

Class size could increase slightly in the fall because of an anticipated
increase in full-time equivalent students, she said.

A report from the Learning Commission released last year made 95
recommendations to improve Alberta's education system.

Among the recommendations was reducing class size.

Last September, Red Deer public eliminated 24 teaching positions, But it
hired 12 in January with the November funding.

Reducing class size is listed among the district's goals for 2004-05. The
list will be before the school board for approval in June.

Jefferies said the district will work at achieving its goals, depending on
available funding.

The list was put together after consultation with school administration and
trustees, and parent and community input at a meeting held in February.

Another goal is to address the issue of drugs among students.

Jefferies said there aren't a lot of discipline hearings to deal with
student behaviour, but when there are they are mostly due to drug-related
issues.

Between 20 and 30 hearings are held each year, which is not a lot
considering there are about 9,500 students in the district, said
superintendent Don Falk.

Students are found using drugs more than selling drugs, he added.

"It's a community issue, not just a school issue," Jefferies said. "We
recognize there are issues out there and we need to be proactive."

Clearview School Division, in the Stettler area, spearheaded a committee to
work with local communities and police about a year and a half ago to
educate students and parents on the dangers of methamphetamine, or crystal
meth, before it reached the area.

Red Deer Public School District has not yet finalized its plans to address
the issue.

Among the district's other goals is the expansion of pre-kindergarten
programming for students with mild to moderate disabilities. Enrolment is
anticipated to grow to 90 from 30.

Plans for an additional counsellor exist to boost elementary school
counsellors to five. Funding is also designated for more staff specializing
in early literacy.