WHEREAS rural schools are a necessity in order to maintain and develop rural communities; and

WHEREAS rural Alberta is a strong contributor to the economic success of Alberta and requires adequate services, including schools, in place to promote rural sustainability; and 

WHEREAS rural communities need services that will aid in attracting and retaining younger populations to encourage continued viability of rural communities; and

WHEREAS the closure of rural schools will have negative effects on the rural communities as well as cause significant travel time for students; and 

WHEREAS the rural transportation funding formula is not adequate for rural schools to fully recover student transportation costs (SECTION 1.20 – Rural Transportation Funding Formula- Funding Formula for School Authorities); and

WHEREAS the school board transportation deficits decrease the amount of funding designated for basic education; and

WHEREAS schools should receive adequate funding in order to prevent the need for students to be placed in multi-grading (triple or quadruple) classrooms; and

WHEREAS the Government of Alberta recognizes the severe effects triple or quadruple grading has on children’s education; and

WHEREAS the Government of Alberta’s Rural Development Strategy indicated that they strive to ensure that people in rural Alberta have access to quality public services; 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties urge the Government of Alberta to amend the school funding formulas, policies, and regulations to ensure the continued equitable operation and predictable sustainable funding of Alberta’s existing rural schools; and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties continue to lobby the Government of Alberta in order to improve the provincial funding formulas to reflect the needs of rural schools;

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that without rural schools the sustainability of rural communities is at risk.

The Government of Alberta appears to be sending mixed messages. They are encouraging municipalities to invest significant resources into rural community development on one hand, while due to the limited provincial education funding forcing the closure of schools in rural municipalities across the province.

There needs to be a commitment from the Government of Alberta to secure funding for rural schools in an effort to make our communities viable. Saddle Hills County is investing in their rural communities as a method to create strong viable communities, but without rural schools these investments are at risk. Attraction and retention of families will be made impossible without the attraction of rural schools.

The Small Schools by Necessity grant needs to be adequately funded to ensure that the level of education that rural students are receiving meets provincial standards.

10-11F: Sustaining Schools In Rural Communities

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties urge the Government of Alberta to amend the school funding formulas, policies and regulations to ensure the continued equitable operation and predictable sustainable funding of Alberta’s existing rural schools;

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties continue to lobby the Government of Alberta to maintain the Small Schools by Necessity Grant for the 2012 and foreseeable future budgets.

DEVELOPMENTS: The Small Schools by Necessity Grant (SSNG) was preserved and continues into the 2014-15 school year with the same funding as 2013-14. One change to note in the 2014-15 school year is that metro schools are no longer eligible for the SSNG. Metro schools include those within the Calgary Catholic School District, Calgary Board of Education, Edmonton Catholic Schools and Edmonton Public Schools.

As the government response notes, school boards have maximum flexibility in determining where their funds are spent.  This includes the funding received through the SSNG. Therefore, addressing the future sustainability of rural schools may find the most success through discussions with local school boards. As such, the AAMDC has assigned this resolution a status of Accepted in Principle and will monitor the issue going forward.

14-11S: School Bus Transportation Funding Formula

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the AAMDC encourage the province to revisit the school bussing transportation formula to ensure an equitable distribution of transportation funding between jurisdictions. 

ER1-09F: Small Schools by Necessity Grant

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties urge the Government of Alberta to preserve the Small School by Necessity Grant.

Education: Alberta Education is committed to helping rural school boards deliver programs in their communities.  The ministry’s funding framework specifically recognizes that rural school boards face unique challenges beyond their control, such as declining enrolments, operating small schools and transporting students over long distances.

The Government of Alberta values the province’s small and rural communities.  Each child in Alberta is entitled to an education that prepares him or her to be a citizen who actively participates in a global economy.  Alberta Education is committed to helping school boards achieve this standard and recognizes the importance of equitable access to education regardless of location. 

We know that keeping schools open in sparsely populated rural areas is difficult, so additional funding is provided through various grants within the funding framework.  Currently, there are a number of allocations available to support rural and/or small schools.  These include Small Schools by Necessity funding ($54 million in Budget 2014), Equity of Opportunity funding (density allocation and distance allocation – $112 million) and rural transportation funding.  In 2013/2014, rural transportation funding per funded student was $1,487, compared to $717 per urban funded student.  As well, some provincial initiatives, such as Regional Collaborative Service Delivery and SuperNet Service funding, directly support rural schools.

Rural school boards are currently in a healthy financial position, as evidenced by their overall high accumulated surplus from operations.  However, there is no doubt that the trend of urbanization in Alberta is creating challenges for some of our small and rural jurisdictions.  Alberta Education continues to recognize the value and importance of supporting our rural communities.

Treasury Board and Finance: Alberta Treasury Board and Finance will continue to work in partnership with our government colleagues and stakeholders to determine sustainable funding solutions.  Requests for additional funding, at this time, will not be approved.

The Government response provides no indication that the Small Schools By Necessity Grant formula will be revisited and the 2017-18 provincial budget did not reference the Small Schools by Necessity Grant. This resolution has a status of Intent Not Met.