'It's not a wish list, it's a need list': Trustee fears slimmer plan downplays CBE's needs

Calgary Board of Education trustees voted Tuesdayto accept the slimmed down three-year capital plan presented to them by administration last week.

• CBE slims down wish list for new schools, focusing instead on modernizing existing ones

The capital plan identifies the board's priorities for school modernizations and school builds for government consideration.

It asks for threenew schools and for 10 schools to be modernized over the next three years a drastic cut from last year's list, which sought 12 new builds and 10 modernizations over the same period of time.

Trustee Julie Hrdlicka was the only trustee to vote against the plan at Tuesday's public board meeting.

She said she's concernedthe slimmed down plan downplays what the board really needs.

"We are the third largest public school system in the country. We are a growing system. In order to continue to grow and give great opportunity for students we need to be funded for that to happen," she said.

"And, we need to let the province know and our communities know what do we need.For me, I've never looked at the capital plan as a wish list. It's not a wish list. It is a need list. This is what our communities need."

And, while other trustees agreed that they'd ideally like to ask for more new builds and modernizations, the plan they did approve for the province's consideration keeps Alberta's fiscal realities in mind.

Economic situation a factor

"We will have some communities that were maybe hoping to see themselves reflected here and they won't be. But I also know too that the economic situation in our province is demanding that we be prudent in everything that we do and every decision that we make," said board chair Marilyn Dennis.

"For all intents and purposes it looks like we're in for a few years. It would be nice to see some additions to the list, butI also think that this is a prudent approach. It demonstrates that the CBE is being responsive to the provincial budget."

Trustee Trina Hurdman said the role of the board of trustees is not just to advocate for what the board would like to seebut also to plan for what is realistic.

"That does not mean stopping advocacy workbut when we know when the government has put out hard numbers already saying what their fiscal plan is for the next three years, we would not be doing our duties as trustees by ignoring that information and going completely outside of it," she said.

"Ithink that that would create unrealistic expectations within our communities. I don't want to create unrealistic expectations or false hope in our communities."

Not clear if CBE will get what it's requesting

Hurdman said it's not even clear if the CBE, or any other school board, will get what they ask for in their capital plans.

"Because there's no money for it in the in the province's fiscal budget. But I think it is a responsible plan," she said. "And I think that this is a plan that the government should find money for because we're not being totally unrealistic in our asks. We are being responsible."

In an emailed statement, Alberta Education said Budget 2020 was just tabled last week, and they will "obviously continue to invest" in capital infrastructure in the years to come.

CBC News reported last week that when presenting the plan to trustees, administration said that because of the province's economic circumstances, government expects school boards to make the best use of the buildings they already have.

And, administrations said there's even incentive within the province's new funding framework to increase school utilization rates.