The Chinook's Edge Board of Trustees recently approved the Education Plan for the 2025-2026 school year.
According to the board, through the plan, the Board and division articulate its continued focus for work around three pillars: academic excellence, social emotional well-being and career connections.
Within the pillars are the following plans we are very excited about in our division:
- Piloting a blend of online and in-person learning, where students will have the opportunity to connect with their teacher, attend field trips, and access division standardized assessments while learning from home.
- Providing extensive learning opportunities within existing professional learning days for staff to enhance their capacity for dealing with an increasing number of student complexities.
- Expanding collegiate experience opportunities for our rural students by fully utilizing our partnerships with Olds College and Red Deer Polytechnic. These efforts will support students in post-secondary transition and ensure high school completion, allowing students to move forward with confidence into the world of work.
Also, last week, the trustees approved a $140.9 million budget for the 2025–2026 school year.
The Board anticipates revenue next year of $140.4 million, with a budget deficit of $586,647.
"The division will use reserves to balance the budget, anticipating that reserves at the end of the 2025–2026 school year will be approximately $4.0 million or 3.2 per cent."
According to the division, it is important to note that the Board is well under Alberta Education’s reserve cap of $8.4 million or 6 per cent. Also, the majority of our reserve is restricted and available only for future planned capital projects.
The school division has 12 schools in neighbouring communities, including Olds, Mountain View County, Didsbury and Carstairs. Chinook's Edge has a total of 11,000 students across 40 Central Alberta schools.
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