Good News Items
- Trustee Roy Ripkens commended the Alberta School Boards' Association for the opportunity to celebrate Edwin Parr New Teacher Award nominees at a recent banquet. Stacy Sartain from H.E. Bourgoin School in Bonnyville was nominated for the award by Northern Lights Public Schools.
- Vice-Chair Cheryl Edwards highlighted the grand opening of the Strathcona Performing Arts Centre in Bonnyville. She thanked the Clayton Bellamy Foundation for the Arts for its work in bringing community partners together to transform the former Bonnyville Centralized High School gym into a fine arts facility for the community. She also congratulated BCHS on the school's production of Annie which was held in the new performing arts centre earlier this month.
- Superintendent Rick Cusson congratulated Adrienne Peoples-Sprecker on her appointment as Principal of Ecole Plamondon School.
- Board Chair Karen Packard commended the students and staff at Cold Lake High School on their production of Everybody Wants to be the Villain, an audience-interactive comedy co-written by teacher Dana Schwab.
- Nicole Garner, Communications and Public Relations Manager, presented highlights from schools throughout the division. The full presentation is available on the NLPS website: Good News - May 28, 2025.
Presentation: Makenna Makaruk - Glendon School
Makenna Makaruk shared highlights from her trip to the Invictus Games in Whistler, an opportunity she won after submitting a poem to the ATCO Why Military Matters contest. Makenna's poem was selected to be in the top 10 and a line from her poem was used on a poster. She joined other winners at the games where 156 veterans competed in a variety of sports.
Highlights from her experience included trying the sit ski simulator at Canada Place, watching indoor rowing and sitting volleyball, attending the closing ceremonies, and meeting Prince Harry.
Enhanced Programming Accountability Report
Karen Draycott, Director of Learning - Grades 7 to 12 Instructional Support, reviewed enhanced programming highlights with trustees.
High school students now have greater access to dual credit opportunities thanks to collaboration with other local school divisions that maximizes the courses available to students. NLPS students currently have access to over 30 dual credit/university transfer courses. A total of 20 students completed dual credit courses this year.
Indigenous Teachings opportunities have also increased for Cold Lake students thanks to a Community Reconciliation Grant with Cold Lake First Nations. This year, 900 students participate in land-based camps, and students from schools in Cold Lake have had opportunities to learn about fish scale art, beading, hide tanning and more.
The number of students participating in work experience, the Registered Apprenticeship Program, and locally developed courses has increased. Work experience had a total o 176 students enrolled, while 26 were enrolled in RAP. There were a total of 619 students enrolled in Locally Developed Courses.
There has also been an increase in participation in the Canadian Rockies Outdoor Learning Centre program, which offers students the opportunity to travel to Canmore to complete courses in Water Experience and Winter Travel. A total of 137 students from J.A. Williams High School, Bonnyville Centralized High School, and Cold Lake High School participated this year.
More schools are also participating in Skills Alberta workshops and learning opportunities. A total of 174 students from six schools attended the provincial Skills Alberta competition. Several schools also hosted Try-A-Trade events for students.
Collegiate Application
Karen Draycott, Director of Learning - Grades 7 to 12 Instructional Support, announced that the provincial government has approved $2.3 million in funding for Northern Lights Public Schools, Lakeland Catholic Schools, St. Paul Education and Conseil scolaire centre-est to establish a collegiate institute to provide career pathways training to students in health care, education and trades. The funding will be used to purchase equipment to establish the programs, which includes heavy equipment tech and electrical trades. Students will be able to access the programming starting this fall.
Locally Developed Courses
Karen Draycott, Director of Learning - Grades 7 to 12 Instructional Support, presented the Board with a list of locally-developed courses for the Board to approve and renew. Locally-developed courses were reviewed by Learning Pathways Advisors this year to determine which ones were no longer being accessed by students, and identify new ones the division could access to offer to students. New additions include courses in dance, theatre, and Indigenous teachings. Renewed courses include forensics, mental health literacy, developing personal integrity, and surviving financially as an adult. The Board approved a total of 41 locally-developed courses for next year.
Locally-developed courses are high school courses that have been developed by school divisions and are then made accessible to other divisions across the province. Students can select these courses as part of their pathway to graduation.
Education Plan
Lorrie Makepeace, Director of Learning - Kindergarten to Grade 6 Instructional Support, reviewed the final draft of the division's Education Plan with the Board. The Education plan identifies performance measures and plans for implementing strategies to address each of the priorities.
The Education Plan is available on the NLPS website: 2024-2027 Education Plan - Year 2
2025-2026 Budget
The Board gave approval in principle to the 2025-2026 budget so administration can start to move forward with some of the changes that need to be made to reduce spending for next year. The division needs to make $6.8 million in spending reductions for 2025-2026 to align expenses with the funding provided by Alberta Education and replenish reserves to minimum levels required by the provincial government. The division's reserves were depleted this year due to not receiving the funding that was anticipated through Jordan's Principle, as well as a planned deficit.
Transportation Ridership Fee
In response to ongoing increases in transportation costs and the fact that provincial funding has not kept pace with the actual expenses of providing student transportation in rural Alberta, the Board will be implementing a $140 annual ridership fee for all students accessing student transportation services beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. This will be capped at three riders per household and will be in addition to any existing transportation fees that are already in place. This fee will be reviewed annually, along with other transportation fees.
Trustee Budget
The Board agreed to reduce spending in its budget to match the reductions being made in other areas. This will includes reducing meeting costs by hosting five board meetings virtually instead of in person, introducing a quarter-day compensation rate for shorter meetings, and limiting Board committee membership to a maximum of three trustees. The Board will also be reducing its travel and conference costs by eliminating participation in conferences that require air travel.
School Name Change
The Board approved a request from the Provincial Campus Based Care Centre in Lac La Biche to change the name of the Youth Assessment Centre to Elk Lodge School.
Public Survey to Inform the Selection and Availability of School Library Materials
The Board discussed the survey that was launched by Alberta Education and Childcare to gather feedback on how school library materials are selected and managed. Several trustees had completed the survey. Trustees are also looking forward to the opportunity to provide input to the Minister on this subject and any new standards that are proposed.