Good News Items
- Vice-Chair Cheryl Edwards congratulated students from Ardmore School and Iron River School who received awards at the schools' award ceremonies in June. She was impressed by the presentations and the number of students who received awards.
- Trustee Mandi Skogen congratulated the graduates from Cold Lake High School, as well as students who received awards at the end of the year.
- Trustee Garry Kissel congratulated students at Glendon School who received awards at the end of the year.
- Trustee Blair Norton congratulated graduates from Ecole Plamondon School and thanked them for the opportunity to provide greetings on behalf of the Board.
- Trustees welcomed new teachers to NLPS. A total of 11 new teachers attended New Teacher Orientation on Monday.
Financial Updates
Secretary-Treasurer Paula Elock reviewed the June and July operations summaries with the Board and noted that both revenues and expenses are on target to meet the updated budget projections made in the spring.
The Division has still not received any funding through Jordan's Principle for the 2024-2025 school year or an indication that it will receive any of the funding it applied for in July 2024. Elock said she is in the process of drafting a letter to Indigenous Services seeking clarity on how the application is being assessed. Superintendent Rick Cusson noted that while the federal government has been inviting applications for the 2025-2026 school year, the division won't be making a new application until it assesses the barriers to approval of its previous application and how changes in the criteria for Jordan's Principle may impact a future application. Elock also noted that the division will not spend any money on accessing services that were previously covered through Jordan's Principle funding without the funding being approved first.
Board Advocacy
Board Chair Karen Packard reported that the position statement NLPS has submitted to the Alberta School Boards' Association (ASBA) has advanced to the next stage for consideration. The position statement calls on the ASBA to advocate for the government to allocate space in new school builds for Indigenous spaces with out impacting space allocated for other school common areas.
Complexity and Aggression in Schools Action Team
Board Chair Karen Packard and Superintendent Rick Cusson updated trustees on the action team that was announced by the provincial government at the end of June. Cusson reported that the division was asked to provide data, but otherwise has not been asked to provide feedback. He noted that most of the members of the action team are from urban areas of the province and the final report may not reflect the needs or challenges of providing programming in rural areas of the province.
The Board expressed concern about the timing of the announcement and short timeframe to develop and then implement recommendations. Packard noted that the expectation is that there will be actions that need to be implemented during the 2025-2026 school year and then further actions for 2026-2027. She pointed out it may be challenging to implement changes mid-year when the budget has already been set.
Ministerial Order on the Selection, Availability, and Access of School Library Materials
Board Chair Karen Packard reported on information sessions about the Ministerial Order held in June and July. School divisions have until October 1 to review library materials and ensure compliance.
The Board expressed concern about the time staff would need to review and catalogue classroom libraries within a short timeframe, and that it may result in teachers removing books from their classrooms. Superintendent Rick Cusson said the division will be in compliance with the order but there will be a cost, either in human resources or providing technology to assist staff.
The Board also expressed concern with the number of ministerial orders that require boards to adopt new policies and implement new procedures without opportunities for boards to consult and get feedback from their communities.
Vera M. Welsh Elementary School Update
Secretary-Treasurer Paula Elock reported that tenders for the construction of a replacement school for Vera M. Welsh Elementary School in Lac La Biche closed on August 21st and she was waiting to hear from Alberta Infrastructure about the evaluation process.
Deficit Reduction Plan
The Board approved a two-year Deficit Elimination Plan for submission to Alberta Education. The outlines how the division plans to eliminate its accumulated deficit and restore reserves to the minimum levels required by the provincial government.
Due to a plan deficit budget for 2024-2025 and lack of Jordan's Principle funding, the division expects to finish the fiscal year with a $7 million deficit, which will wipe out its reserves and put it in an accumulated deficit position. The two-year approach will reduce the impact on classrooms and provide flexibility to respond to emergent needs.