FMPSD Looking at $4.5M Cut in Provincial Funds

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The Fort McMurray Public School Division could be looking at a big deficit this school year due to the provincial budget.

Speaking on Fort McMurray Matters, Superintendent Doug Nicholls says cuts by the Government of Alberta could result in the district receiving around $4.5 million less in grants and funds.

The district had received around $90 million in previous years to operate across Fort McMurray.

Nicholls tells Mix News they’ll have to be smart with every dollar they use.

“With enrollment growth, which is what this community has including our friends in the Catholic District, and if budgets are held tight, that simply means there’s less money there per student.”

The FMPSD is seeing a six per cent increase in enrollment from the last school year.

Before these cuts, teachers were being asked to teach bigger class sizes.

The GoA is committing to fund enrollment growth by 2.2 per cent in their budget.

However, Nicholls isn’t sold that every new student across the district will be covered.

“An item can be in the budget but at the end of the day for a school division it’s what that pie looks like at the end of all those lines and do we have dollars for enrollment growth, due we have dollars for the programming that we have.”

The FMPSD currently has funds in their reserve to cover their cuts during the school year. Nicholls notes they could potentially use their reserve funding if the deficit continues on the same trend over the next two school years as well.

“If things do not change in terms of grants for next September, students throughout the province will be impacted in a very significant way,” he added.

Mix News reached out to the Fort McMurray Catholic School District, however, they are still reviewing the budget and its potential impact.

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