Two school boards seek approval for special levy
Two school boards – Grande Prairie Public and Grande Yellowhead Regional School Division – will ask local voters to support special tax levies in the upcoming school board elections. If voters approve, school boards may levy up to 3 per cent of their annual budget for the year the plebiscite is passed, for each of the three years of the term.

If voters in Grande Yellowhead support the plebiscite, the board will spend $1.5 million, in each of the next three years, on upgrading roofs, heating and ventilation systems and flooring.

Grande Prairie Public is asking its community to support a $1.3 million levy for each of the next three years. If approved, the school board will use the money to maintain and repair schools, to help cover start up costs at two new schools and to provide programs to improve high school completion rates.

Since the plebiscite option was introduced in 1994, school boards have three times asked for special levies. Medicine Hat Public has asked twice and Lethbridge Public has asked once. They did not succeed.

ASBA welcomes Mat Hanrahan to the team
The ASBA welcomes Mat Hanrahan to the ASBA team.  Hanrahan, who most recently served as Assistant Deputy Minister Learning Supports, is on secondment from the Department of Education. His work will focus on responding to Auditor General Fred Dunn’s recommendation that standards be set for the financial monitoring information provided to school trustees. Dunn’s 2005-2006 report also recommended school trustees get information about the characteristics of a strong budgetary control system and best practices for fulfilling their financial monitoring responsibilities.

Annual membership survey underway The ASBA regularly surveys school boards to ensure the services it offers meet school board and senior staff needs. The 2007 telephone survey is underway. Consultant Ken MacRae is contacting superintendents to arrange telephone conference calls with those who use the services. 

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Agenda Sept. 12 and 13 Board of Directors meeting
This will be posted on Sept. 10.

Provincial government seeks trustee input into draft nutrition guidelines
The government is developing guidelines to give children healthy food choices. The draft guidelines and online survey are available here. The deadline to respond is Oct. 31.