Student experience safe despite rising costs, Medicine Hat public division says

The per-student base grant that makes up 49 per cent of the division’s grant funding did not increase year-over-year but costs have, forcing the division to find savings.

Dulle said the division has worked “to do what we can to really tighten up in all the different areas…so that we can minimize that impact to the classroom as much as possible.”

“It has been a hard budget to try to find all those pieces, but we’re happy with the budget that we’re presenting at this point.”

Other factors are also in play.

The budget includes a five per cent increase to the salaries of education support workers part of the Canadian Union of Public Employees union after recent labour negotiations.

The school board expects to have 150 less students coming through its doors next school year as less and less babies are born in Medicine Hat, a trend that it anticipates to continue for the next decade.

The division ran deficits in the previous two budgets to make up revenue shortfalls and spent operating reserves as a cushion after a large reduction in cash in the 2023-24 school year, the budget file said.

It also worked to bring the MHPSD in alignment with Alberta Education’s new six per cent target for operating reserves as a portion of operating expenditures.

By the end of the 2025-26 school year, the division plans to have that reserve fund at 3.4 per cent.

Matching the drop off in students, the board is planning for a decrease of 3.66 full-time staff positions that will be carried out through attrition, not layoffs.

Leanne Dulle, secretary treasurer of the Medicine Hat Public School Board, says the student population continues to decrease. Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News

That includes a decrease in just under eight teacher positions countered by an increase of about four non-teaching staff.

Overall salaries and benefits have increased by $501,900 or 0.7 per cent.

The ongoing contract negotiations between Alberta’s public teachers and the Alberta government will not impact school budgets as any salary increase will be covered directly by the province.

Catherine Wilson, chair of the trustees board, said in a statement to CHAT News that students remain the focus despite the challenges.

“While we face declining enrolment and necessary staff adjustments, our unwavering focus remains on limiting the impact on class sizes and to maintain essential supports for our students,” Wilson said.

“We are dedicated to high educational standards and will continue to push for positive outcomes in our classrooms, always putting students first to help them achieve excellence.”

Wilson offered no direct criticism of the ruling United Conservative government.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association said earlier this year the $9.9 billion set aside for education in Alberta’s 2025 budget wasn’t enough.

Funding needed to increase by 15.8 per cent to bring Alberta’s per-student funding up closer to the national average, according to the association.

The ATA said the national average is about $10-a-day per student while Alberta’s 2025 budget allows for $3.57-per-student per-day.

by Eli J. Ridder

Student experience safe despite rising costs, Medicine Hat public division says

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