St. Albert Protestant Schools is waiting to find out what will happen with $12 million Alberta Education has set aside for special education but has yet to disperse.
Special education and inclusion for all students is an area in which this school division feels it is doing well, despite no changes in funding from the province in years. But there is always room for improvement, its board of trustees is saying.
“We’ve been providing supports and services for students with severe disabilities based on funding from three years ago,” Krimsen Sumners, supervisor of student services, said at a board meeting Wednesday. “It is becoming increasingly difficult meeting the needs of our students.”
“We do get funding every year, but the portfolio has never been changed for the last three or four years, so we’ve gotten the same funding for four years,” said superintendent Barry Wowk. “This is the first year we see a potential increase.”
Sumners noted the school division has a strong reputation for providing supports in schools. She attributes that to flexibility and finding ways to provide services at minimal cost while having quality employees in the positions the school division has created.
“We continue to offer a variety of special education programs in our district, which focus on meeting a wide range of student needs,” she said.
Needs are met through a variety of programming at a number of schools that helps many students. The Academic Challenge program for gifted students has 76 students, in grades 4 to 9. A Behaviour Improvement program hosts 27 students in grades 1 to 9.
Twelve students with difficulties transitioning to Grade 9 for a range of reasons are receiving help at Outreach High School. Learning assistance classes for children functioning two to three years behind are being utilized this year by 115 students in grades 2 through 9 and the Opportunity Program, focused on enhancing life skills, has 116 students in all 12 grades.
At the kindergarten level, 37 students have special needs. The majority, said Sumners, are of severe speech and language disorders, with some others having behavioural issues or a medical need.
The school division also receives funding for 35 children at the pre-school level.
“I think right now we service our kids very well,” said trustee Joe Demko. “[But] when it costs more to do what you’re doing, then something has to give someplace. I think there has to be a limit to how creative we can be to offset not getting the funding.”
“I think it is important for our board to point out that it’s been three years without any increase,” said Joan Trettler, board chair. “All of these children who are special needs need to have assistance and to provide targeted money, to me, is really counterproductive to what is needed throughout the province.”
Alberta Education has made no announcement on how the $12 million — a 4.4 per cent increase in overall special education funding — might be dispersed. The information is expected in time for the coming school year.
