Extra money from the province has vastly improved the financial outlook for Catholic schools in Central Alberta, says the secretary-treasurer for Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools.
The board submits its budgets for the school year to the province in spring and then provides an update in fall, Rod Steeves said on Thursday.
The board had prepared a deficit budget for 2011-12, with plans to draw $2.3 million from a reserve account of $4.6 million so it could maintain classroom sizes and avoid laying off any teachers, said Steeves.
Trustees had anticipated an enrolment of 6,700 students in the schools it operates throughout the region, including Red Deer, Rocky Mountain House, Sylvan Lake, Olds and Innisfail.
A pair of unforeseen circumstances have allowed the school district to cut its anticipated deficit to $500,000, less than one-quarter of the original.
On the cost side, the board had to hire seven new teachers to maintain class sizes this fall when its total enrolment jumped by about 300 students, an unanticipated increase of 4.8 per cent, said Steeves. He could not explain why enrolment took such a jump.
Around then, Alberta Premier Alison Redford announced the province would free up $107 million in grants for money to go directly to classrooms. The board received about $1 million, said Steeves.
Factoring in the increase in salaries with the additional grant money, the school board will now need to draw only about $500,000 from its reserves rather than the anticipated $2.3 million, he said.
The Catholic school district has committed to maintaining smaller classroom sizes, which its trustees believe is a benefit to the quality of education that can be provided to its students, said Steeves.
On average, there are 18 to 19 students per teacher in the lower grades, he said.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com