CBE rejects class-size study amid budget Crunch

The Calgary Board of Education is warning of dire financial straits in the coming years, after a budget assumptions report confirmed a $35-million provincial funding gap could result in larger class sizes and cuts to service. But an effort by trustee Lisa Davis to gather data that may have helped the CBE lobby for more funding was voted down by the board this week.

“We’re seeing a lot of pressure being put on our teachers right now,” Davis said. “They’re going to have to do more with less and we’re going to have to look for ways to support them.”

The province released its $8.4-billion education budget last month, committing to funding local districts for enrolment growth. That funding will include a $19.8-million increase to CBE, but administrators say it’s not nearly enough to maintain existing service levels.

Hoping to arm the CBE with ways to get more funding in the future, Davis put forward a motion to gather specific numbers on class sizes in high school core courses, reportedly as high as 35 in some schools.

Right now, CBE data shows average class sizes in high schools hover between 26 and 28 students. But those averages include a wide range of high school electives that could have unusually small classes, such as autobody or machine-shop classes, which may only allow 12 to 15 students for safety reasons.

Davis argued that looking only at average class sizes for high school math, English, science and social studies would provide a clearer picture of the needs in those critical courses required for postsecondary entrance. And if those class sizes are, in fact, becoming unmanageable as suspected, Davis said the CBE could qualify for increased funding.

“I want to make sure we keep as much money in the classrooms as we can,” Davis said. “But in order to do that, we need to get as much information as we can. In fact, we have a duty to gather as much information as we can so we can make informed decisions.”

But trustees voted down the motion after administrators said gathering the data would be a lot of work. Board chair Trina Hurdman explained administrators will be too busy in the coming weeks to try to get data on high school class sizes for core courses.

“Our staff is just too busy preparing a budget in which there are significant shortfalls.”

Brad Grundy, chief financial officer with the CBE, said information on class sizes would be a useful way to lobby for more funding.

“Information is power, absolutely,” Grundy said. “The more information that we can get on that kind of stuff is always helpful.”

He said the CBE will spend the next few weeks trying to determine ways to reduce services to balance the CBE’s $1.4-billion budget.

“We are a growing organization that has many evolving needs and services. So it’s always a challenge to fund our growth and maintain the status quo to existing service levels.”

The budget assumptions report is part of the CBE’s final budget preparations, which will go before the board of trustees in May.

Before then, officials will need to find ways to make up for the $35-million budget gap, and may have to resort to a number of reductions in service, according to the report.

Those include: increasing overall class sizes; cutting back on allocations for school furniture and equipment;

reducing the scope of full-day kindergarten, now offered at only 15 schools;

reducing English Language Learning supports in future years.