GYPSD board news
Aug. 22 meeting Evansburg-Wildwood Facilities Review Grande Yellowhead Public School Division (GYPSD) is conducting a review of three schools in the Lobstick zone: Evansview School and Grand Trunk High School in Evansburg, and Wildwood School in Wildwood. The goal of the Evansburg-Wildwood Facilities Review is to determine how to provide the best learning environment and educational programs for the students of Wildwood and Evansburg, given the resources available. A detailed report from the four community sessions held in June was presented to trustees, including information collected from an online survey, participant feedback, and data collected during the sessions. All information was posted to the division’s website and Facebook page on July 30, 2018.
The input received through the engagement sessions and online survey will be used to develop community engagement activities to take place in September, 2018.
After the fall sessions, the board will meet on September 27, 2018, to discuss the division’s current Three-Year Capital Plan.
2018-2019 School and Transportation Fees
With approval from the Minister of Education, the board approved the school fee schedule for the 20182019 school year. Fees were developed as part of the spring budget process and in collaboration with all GYPSD principals.
Recent financial audits have confirmed that actual transportation costs for the divison are over $800 per student. Annual transportation fees for ineligible students were increased to $350 per student for the upcoming year.
Other Notes of Interest
Trustee Joan Zaporosky from Edson is the board’s chosen representative to be considered for the Teacher Salary Qualifications Board (TSQB). The Alberta School Boards’ Association (ASBA) will be selecting candidates from all divisions for the TSQB at their meeting in September.
• Policy 21 - Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression was amended to align with correct wording under Bill 24.
• The board authorized the annual credit line of up to a maximum of $400,000 for the 2018-2019 school year for any emergent short-term financial needs in accordance with the School Act.
• The board’s annual self-evaluation report and the Superintendent of School’s evaluation report for the 2017-2018 school year were presented for discussion and approval. Evaluations were completed with the assistance of an external consultant from the ASBA.
New Online Student Registration Process
Learning Services provided an update on the successful launch of a new online student registration process for the division. The ‘PowerSchool Online Registration’ program will increase data accuracy and improve security of student data all while improving communication between home and school. A new process for families to pay online for school fees was also successfully implemented.