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April 18, 2023

Why an advocacy section on the FSD website?

We are often asked how you can engage in Foothills School Division goals and objectives. We appreciate this offer of help and are happy to invite you, our community, to support these advocacy efforts.

What are our priorities?

Our current focus areas for advocacy all share a common goal: Ensuring the majority of our budget dollars are directed to school and classroom-based staff. This will assure that we operate at maximum efficiency while also promoting high-quality learning in all schools across the division.

Our immediate advocacy priorities are:

Provide equity of opportunity and school-based services for rural communities
To create flourishing communities where schools are self-sustaining and celebrate the unique opportunities rural education provides.
Change the way school capacity is calculated to allow for learning spaces to be recognized and funded accordingly.
To recognize the many justified uses of school space that are not part of the current formula to calculate student population capacity, and to identify the restricting factors that negatively impact this calculation.
Implement Alberta Education-funded full-time kindergarten across the province.
To leverage the international research base that speaks to the many benefits of early intervention and education on later life outcomes. This would be an investment in safeguarding our collective future.
Secure construction funding for a new high school in Okotoks.
To reduce the student population at École Foothills Composite High School/Alberta High School of Fine Arts which currently sits at over 130% capacity.
Increase transportation funding.
To redirect these operational dollars back into our classrooms to reduce and/or eliminate transportation fees for eligible students.

How can you help?

Your voice as a stakeholder in public education is key to advocating for positive change. Sharing your voice with elected officials and decision-makers is a great way to support our advocacy efforts. You can do this easily:

Download a draft letter from the area of advocacy you feel strongly about.
Add your thoughts to the letter at your discretion.
Sign the letter.
Email your letter to your elected officials who are listed below.

What are the facts about our Immediate and Ongoing advocacy priorities and areas?

Our Immediate Advocacy Priorities
Provide equity of opportunity and school-based services for rural communities		Change the way school capacity is calculated to allow for school usage to be recognized and funded accordingly
• Funding for rural schools was changed in the 2020-2021 budget o What was changed? o How has this impacted? • Meeting with our rural communities has told us the following are areas of advocacy in rural settings: o What did we hear as priorities o How can we currently help? o What can AB Ed do differently to help?		The current calculation speaks only to overall square meters and the number of students. Larger spaces, such as an expanded gym, are a disadvantage to school capacity calculation. The calculation then expects these large spaces to be used for formal classroom learning and not their intended purpose. Digital school teaching and school leadership team use of school space is not included in capacity. Junior Kindergarten programs are not recognized as the use of school space. Capital funding suffers because of this outdated model though costs increase in terms of utilities and usage. Allowance of the above to calculate accurate school capacity and adequate funding that follows would be a priority change moving forward. This would allow us to maintain our facilities more optimally moving forward.

Implement Alberta Education-funded full-time kindergarten across the school division		Secure construction funding for a new high school in Okotoks
Research is clear on early educational opportunities and positive life outcomes. Recognize this research and provide increased opportunities for our community. Realizing full-time kindergarten supports families who need to coordinate childcare on non-school days.		École Secondaire Foothills Composite High School/Alberta High School of Fine Arts is built to accommodate 1000 students. The school currently has an enrollment of 1429 students or approximately 130% of its intended capacity. School programming opportunities are limited in over-capacity schools. Okotoks and the County of Foothills are planning to build a water pipeline from Calgary that will be operational in 2025. Securing a reliable water supply will increase development and population growth in the school’s catchment area. We are working with the Town of Okotoks to collaboratively plan a shared school and community site. Immediate Alberta Education funding would see a new high school site operational by 2026.

Increase transportation funding
The current Alberta Education funding model for transportation is based on 2013 data. Costs for fuel, buses, insurance, and human resources have increased significantly since 2013. Adjustments for these factors have been inadequately funded. We cannot use capital funding dollars to purchase insurance on capital assets. We realize a $250,000 shortfall in transportation costs every school year and this is drawn from our operational funding, which is best intended for classroom support. Alberta government support can help us solve this funding shortfall.

Our Ongoing Advocacy Efforts
Continue to reduce property insurance costs		Continued increases in funding for student mental health supports
We have a legislated responsibility to purchase property insurance coverage for all our sites. We cannot use capital funding budget dollars to purchase insurance. In the 2018-2019 school year, we paid $570,000 for insurance. Since that time our property and insurance costs have increased by over 400% For the 2021-2022 school year our property insurance costs were over $2.5 million dollars The close to $2 million difference is drawn from our operational funding budget, with some relief funding from the province This $2 million should be spent on classroom-based staffing Alberta government support can help us solve this funding shortfall.		Our division data tells us that mental wellness for our students has become more complex and diverse in the last several years. We have seen an increase in: Self-reported student anxiety Student suicide risk assessments Student violence threat assessments We have concurrently seen a decrease in funding to support mental wellness in the same time period We currently see a shortfall of operational funds from our 2018 funding We have had to decrease our division mental wellness staff Alberta Education’s Mental Health Grant dollars funding in the amount of $630,000 will help us increase on-site support for our students to meet existing needs

Our Ongoing Advocacy Efforts

Continue to reduce property insurance costs

Continued increases in funding for student mental health supports

We have a legislated responsibility to purchase property insurance coverage for all our sites.
We cannot use capital funding budget dollars to purchase insurance.
In the 2018-2019 school year, we paid $570,000 for insurance.
Since that time our property and insurance costs have increased by over 400%
For the 2021-2022 school year our property insurance costs were over $2.5 million dollars
The close to $2 million difference is drawn from our operational funding budget, with some relief funding from the province
This $2 million should be spent on classroom-based staffing
Alberta government support can help us solve this funding shortfall.

Our division data tells us that mental wellness for our students has become more complex and diverse in the last several years.
We have seen an increase in:
- Self-reported student anxiety
- Student suicide risk assessments
- Student violence threat assessments
We have concurrently seen a decrease in funding to support mental wellness in the same time period
We currently see a shortfall of operational funds from our 2018 funding
We have had to decrease our division mental wellness staff
Alberta Education’s Mental Health Grant dollars funding in the amount of $630,000 will help us increase on-site support for our students to meet existing needs

Our Advocacy Successes
Reduced property insurance costs to redirect these operational dollars back into our classrooms.		Increased funding for student mental health supports
Highlight amount received from AB Ed to offset costs this year (2022-2023) Highlight amount AB Ed pays to backstop insurance costs at the provincial level. Highlight amount insurance costs have been reduced this year (2022-2023) through our risk management practices.		$630,000 received from Alberta Education for Student Mental Health Projects (December 2022 to December 2024) to better serve our students with onsite support throughout our school division.

*Secured planning* funding for a new high school in Okotoks**
Highlight recent funding announcement and what it means as well as dollar amount we are receiving once we receive this.

Where can I learn more?

The following links provide more information about the advocacy priorities outlined above:

Foothills School Division Budget 2022-2023

Funding manual for school authorities 2022/2023 school year

Province of Alberta Education Act

Alberta 2022-2023 Mid Year Fiscal Update and Economic Statement

Alberta Infrastructure - Planning school projects

Contact communications@fsd38.ab.ca
Contact superintendent@fsd38.ab.ca

Where can I send my letter?

Premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith premier@gov.ab.ca 780.427.2251	Minister of Education, Adriana LaGrange education.minister@gov.ab.ca 780.427.5010	Minister of Finance, Travis Toews tbf.minister@gov.ab.ca@assembly.ab.ca 780.427.2391

Highwood MLA, RJ Sigurdson Highwood@assembly.ab.ca 403.995.5488	Livingstone-Macleod, MLA Roger Reid Livingstone.Macleod@assembly.ab.ca 825.212.2000	Banff-Kananaskis, MLA Miranda Rosin Banff.Kananaskis@assembly.ab.ca 403.609.4509

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