Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

When the Lethbridge School District Board of Trustees approved the 2011/12 updated budget, it reflected the final student enrolment as of September 30, 2011 and the additional funding provided for by Alberta Education this past October when Premier Alison Redford restored $107 million to school boards province wide, approximately 60% of the amount that was reduced in the government’s spring budget. Arguably, funding for public services in Alberta has been somewhat dependent on the boom and bust cycles of the oil and gas industry over the past many years. School boards would prefer predictable funding, but often find themselves having to cut staff, resulting in increased class sizes, when provincial resource revenues are lagging. The speaker will communicate how budgetary restraints have been applied and speculate on remedies that could stabilize future education funding in Alberta. As well, he will touch upon some general initiatives and challenges in the Lethbridge School District, such as an initiative to