Latest news with #EdmontonPublicSchools
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Learning, inclusion, mental health top Edmonton Public Schools education plan
Edmonton Public Schools (EPSB) is entering the final year of its 2022–2026 Four-Year Education Plan, reaffirming its commitment to student success, mental health, and anti-racism initiatives. As the division prepares to welcome over 120,000 students in the upcoming school year, the final year's plan aims to guide efforts across the division, remaining focused on enhancing pathways to success for all students. Each year, EPSB submits a Four-Year Education Plan to Alberta Education, aligning it with the approved budget. The plan is developed using data, stakeholder engagement, provincial planning documents, and the division's own strategic plan. Progress on the plan's actions will be reported in fall 2025 through the Annual Education Results Report (AERR) and results review process. Brought before trustees for approval on Friday, the plan outlines the division's strategic goals and provincial assurance framework, reporting cycles, and funding manual for the 2025–2026 school year. The plan is built around three key priority areas. Under 'Priority One: Outstanding learning opportunities,' the division is focused on helping teachers implement new curriculum to build on outstanding learning opportunities for all students, the report said. For example, targeted professional learning and resources for Kindergarten to grade 6 teachers has been well received, with 84 per cent of certificated staff who accessed support saying it was helpful, according to Division Feedback Survey (DFS) results. The plan emphasizes evidence-based strategies to support strong literacy and numeracy outcomes and ensures learning remains responsive to the needs of all students. Experiential opportunities will also help students explore and plan for their futures. Under 'Priority Two: Anti-racism and reconciliation,' the Division reaffirms its commitment to anti-racism, reconciliation, and equity by engaging with staff, students, families, and community members. Select DFS results from students, staff and families shows strong perceptions of diversity, with: 78.5 per cent of grades 4 to 12 students agree that many diverse cultures are represented in the books and materials at their school; 89.3 per cent of staff share this view; and 86 per cent of families agree that many diverse cultures are represented in the events, activities, and environment of their child's school. EPSB Superintendent Darrel Robertson acknowledged concerns from those who feel dissatisfied with the influence of advisory committees such as the equity advisory committee, and that he's 'really interested in to hear what folks have to say in terms of that work and what's happening,' but noting the division must prioritize complex work over time. 'Sometimes that work doesn't move as fast as people would like, so they may walk away with feelings of dissatisfaction… It doesn't mean that their contribution isn't valuable. It's just that we need to be realistic in terms of how it is that we sequentially move this very complicated work forward and what we prioritize,' he said. 'There are folks that are very set on inclusion is the only option for children with complex needs to participate in our public education system,' he added. 'But we also know that that parent choice is very important to many, many others. So having that singular idea of how things can work can sometime lead people down the road of walking away from the experience being less satisfied than what they anticipated,' he said. Under 'Priority Three: Mental health and wellbeing,' the division said promoting student and staff well-being remains a central focus of the plan, outlining efforts to strengthen school communities that foster a sense of belonging, safety, and success. Collaboration with external partners will guide the strategic use of resources to support these goals. Select DFS results show students' positive feelings of belonging and safety, with: 63.2 per cent of Grades 4 to 12 students agree that their school is a place where all students feel like they belong; 70.7 per cent of students feel like they belong at their school; and 74 per cent of students feel safe at school. cnguyen@ Understanding the 2025-2026 budget for Edmonton Public Schools: What's changing and why it matters Edmonton Public Schools reviews annual class size report amid growing enrolment pressures Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
Calgary Herald
26-05-2025
- General
- Calgary Herald
Learning, inclusion, mental health top Edmonton Public Schools education plan
Article content Edmonton Public Schools (EPSB) is entering the final year of its 2022–2026 Four-Year Education Plan, reaffirming its commitment to student success, mental health, and anti-racism initiatives. Article content Article content As the division prepares to welcome over 120,000 students in the upcoming school year, the final year's plan aims to guide efforts across the division, remaining focused on enhancing pathways to success for all students. Article content Article content What's the Four-Year Education Plan? Article content Article content Each year, EPSB submits a Four-Year Education Plan to Alberta Education, aligning it with the approved budget. Article content The plan is developed using data, stakeholder engagement, provincial planning documents, and the division's own strategic plan. Progress on the plan's actions will be reported in fall 2025 through the Annual Education Results Report (AERR) and results review process. Article content Brought before trustees for approval on Friday, the plan outlines the division's strategic goals and provincial assurance framework, reporting cycles, and funding manual for the 2025–2026 school year. Article content What are the division's priorities? Article content The plan is built around three key priority areas. Article content 1. How is EPSB supporting student learning? Article content Under 'Priority One: Outstanding learning opportunities,' the division is focused on helping teachers implement new curriculum to build on outstanding learning opportunities for all students, the report said. Article content Article content For example, targeted professional learning and resources for Kindergarten to grade 6 teachers has been well received, with 84 per cent of certificated staff who accessed support saying it was helpful, according to Division Feedback Survey (DFS) results. Article content Article content The plan emphasizes evidence-based strategies to support strong literacy and numeracy outcomes and ensures learning remains responsive to the needs of all students. Experiential opportunities will also help students explore and plan for their futures.
Edmonton Journal
26-05-2025
- General
- Edmonton Journal
Learning, inclusion, mental health top Edmonton Public Schools education plan
Article content Edmonton Public Schools (EPSB) is entering the final year of its 2022–2026 Four-Year Education Plan, reaffirming its commitment to student success, mental health, and anti-racism initiatives. As the division prepares to welcome over 120,000 students in the upcoming school year, the final year's plan aims to guide efforts across the division, remaining focused on enhancing pathways to success for all students.
CBC
15-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Nearly century-old Edmonton school set to be demolished, replaced with new building
A school that has served thousands of students in north-central Edmonton for nearly a century is set to face the wrecking ball. Edmonton Public Schools told community members Wednesday night that the 1928 Spruce Avenue School at 114th Avenue and 102nd Street will be demolished to build a new school. The project will be led and fully funded by Alberta Infrastructure as part of its school accelerator plan. But the news is disappointing for some who would have preferred to see a modernization of the existing historic structure. Nadine Riopel's son is starting Grade 7 at the junior high next year and will be sad to see it go. "He's lived across the street from this building since he was six months old. So I think he's going to be real bummed out about it." Reba Baskerville, who went to the junior high in 1975, said the building is worth saving and its demise is an all too common story in Edmonton. "Everything is knock down, rebuild, Baskerville said. "And by the time my great-grandkids are around, there will be nothing to say "oh that was around when I was young.'" It's where she met her best friend Karen Winder. "It's a great school. I don't understand why they would even be considering it. They've fixed a lot of the schools of this era. Why not fix this one?" Winder said. Kim Holotawuk, supervisor in infrastructure planning at Edmonton Public Schools said it's out of their hands. "Unlike previous governments, this government has taken over the management of all school projects whereby in the past school divisions were able to manage their own," Holotawuk said. In December, the division was told that Spruce Avenue School had moved to the design stage as a full replacement school and that an architect had been contracted. It's a fast-moving project, expected to start next March and be completed by January 2028, she said. The decision to opt for a replacement instead of modernizing the existing building was based on a feasibility study done in the pre-planning phase. "To pivot away from a full replacement could put the entire project at risk as the province is committed to acceleration of new school building projects. "We do not want to lose out on an opportunity to improve the learning experiences of all of our students," Holotawuk said. The existing building has a capacity for 450 students but isn't currently full. The new school will have spaces for 605 students. Holotawuk said it will also offer more flexible learning spaces for a diversity of learning needs — something that could not be accomplished in the old building. Chris Wright, managing director of infrastructure with the division, said it's an exciting time. "We need school space, we need modernized buildings in this part of town, breathing life into some communities all over the place. And so if it can be done quickly, that's going to be great for our kids in this community."
CBC
10-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Funding formula change will have marginal impact, Edmonton's public school board says
Edmonton Public School Board has been advocating for a change in the school funding formula for years, but now that the province has moved away from the weighted moving average system, the increase in funding wasn't as much as the division had hoped. In a report presented at Wednesday's school board meeting, trustees heard that while the division will receive $50.5 million more overall for next school year, most new funds are driven by enrolment growth, rather than the new formula. This is because the province also eliminated the Supplemental Enrolment Growth Grant, which divisions like Edmonton Public Schools were using to help keep pace with growth. The difference between what the division would have received under the previous formula with the supplement grant, and the current circumstance amounts to $1.1 million, or 0.1 per cent. "We're pretty much status quo because we're just maintaining our current staffing at our current staffing rates," Todd Burnstad, the division's chief financial officer said. In the new adjusted enrolment method, 70 per cent of funding is based on anticipated enrolment, with the remainder based on current student numbers. The report said the change decreases the number of unfunded students in Edmonton Public Schools from 4,002 to 1,301. Grants for classroom complexity increased by 20 per cent. However, the division was notified in February that it would no longer be eligible for Jordan's principle funding, a program intended to support improved services for First Nations children. Changes to bus funding One line item that saw a decrease in the budget is transportation, which is 11.3 per cent lower than last year. Darrel Roberston, superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools, described it as a mistake. "We are also seeing, however, in next year's budget — because of what's being described as a calculation error on the part of Alberta Education — a pretty significant decrease in transportation funding for metro divisions," Robertson said. But Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said in a statement to CBC that's not true. "The changes referenced by Edmonton Public School Board regarding transportation funding are not a miscalculation," the statement read. Alberta Education previously gave funding for every student eligible to take the bus. Now, funding will only be given for the actual number of students riding. Nicolaides said the province has increased funding for bus transportation by $167 million, or 52.5 per cent, since 2022. It comes as the province also changed the eligibility for bus subsidies. The province will only help pay for riders living more than 1.6 kilometres away — previously it was one kilometre. But there will be over $15 million available in transition funding to help parents and school boards make the transition next school year, the statement said. Robertson said the division has work to do to figure out what these changes mean alongside increasing costs of transportation and growing ridership. He said there may be a future board discussion about increasing bus fees.
