Wild Rose School Division (WRSD) may see a smaller deficit than expected in next year’s budget following a recent funding announcement by the province.
Alberta Education and Childcare recently announced a 2.32 per cent increase in learning support grant rates for the 2025-26 school year, and the additional funding could decrease the division’s projected $645,475 deficit.
As to how much it’ll reduce the deficit, WRSD Superintendent Brad Volkman says that remains to be seen
He says the division expects an updated funding profile from the provincial government for the next school year, likely in July. After that, he says the division will have a clearer picture of how large the projected deficit will be.
Officials had said any budget shortfall would be covered by reserve fund.
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During the June 17 meeting, WRSD Board of Trustees were also joined by the Canadian Parents for French, who requested the division revisit its decision to suspend the Grade 8 French Immersion program due to low enrolment.
Volkman says “low enrollment” means less than 100 students were registered in the program for this year.
Division officials say in Rocky Mountain House, French Immersion has seen decreasing enrolment for several years. Following a discussion on the benefits of the program, WRSD committed to reviewing possible solutions, but was unable to commit further funding to the program due to budgetary constraints.
“[The] temporary suspension of Grade 8 French Immersion class was due to having only 5 students registered for the 2025-26 school year,” says Volkman in a statement. “[The Division] is considering reconfiguring the French Immersion grade levels offered at both schools to see if that might help make more balanced and affordable class sizes.”
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