Officials with the Foothills School Division say the Province has reduced funding to the division by $1.66 million.

The Province announced the changes Saturday, March 28, shifting funding from education to the battle against COVID-19.

Superintendent Chris Fuzessy says the Board of Trustees and Executive Team have reviewed all aspects of the 2019-2020 budget.

Through cost savings on facility operations and a reduction in transportation, guest teachers, professional development, and travel costs they've been able to delay layoffs until Friday, May 15.

"We would like to convey to our community that every member of our team is a valued member and their contributions on a daily basis regardless of the role they play are valued and contribute to the success of our system on a daily basis," Fuzessy says. "We did not intend to be a position of unfortunately having to place our colleagues in a situation of temporary layoffs. We would like them to know that they will be missed and that we look forward to their return at the start of the next school year or earlier if classes to come into effect prior to then so that the entire team can pull together and continue to provide the services that we do to our students and our communities."

He says the extra time will allow staff to develop transition plans while offering students and families ongoing support and continuity of learning.

“The Board of Trustees are incredibly proud of how all staff in our schools have responded to these challenging times working together to deliver and facilitate learning for our students,” said Chair Larry Albrecht. “Our support staff play an important role in assisting students and teachers. We look forward to welcoming them back when schools reopen and classes resume.”

 

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