Rocky View Schools (RVS) named Banded Peak School’s Scott Bailey as the division’s 2014 nominee for the Alberta School Board Association Edwin Parr Teacher Award at the March 20 board of trustees meeting.
The award recognizes exceptional first-year teachers who have gone above and beyond for their students and school community.
The Board’s Annual Awards and Recognition Committee received six nominations from principals around the division, but had to select just one to put forward as the nominee.
Trustee Fiona Gilbert, who is on the awards and recognition committee, said Bailey just had that little extra that put him above the other nominees.
“It was really hard to pick just one to put forward,” she said.
Bailey graduated from the University of Calgary in 2013 with a bachelor degree in education, specializing in secondary English language arts.
“Mr. Bailey is adept at ‘grabbing’ teachable moments and students look forward to the ‘on the spot’ learning that is sure to emerge when Mr. Bailey is teaching, on supervision, walking down the hall, etc.,” wrote Banded Peak principal Deborah McLaren in her nomination for Bailey, who is a Grade 5/6 teacher.
The award winner will be announced later this year.
The board of trustees unanimously voted to approve instructional fees for the 2014 to 2015 school year with no increase to parents.
Trustee Bev LePeare, who made the motion to approve the fees, said the move respects parental finances by keeping them the same for the new school year.
“In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have these,” she said, adding without them the division would be short teachers.
“I think we need to do whatever we can to keep fees reasonable as along as possible,” trustee Todd Brand said.
The fees for kindergarten students are $25 for the year, for Grade 1 to 8 students they are $105 and for grades 9 to 12 the fees are $145.
“It behooves us that we have to ask for fees at all,” said trustee Sylvia Eggerer.
The board voted to table the consideration of the 2014 to 2015 transportation fee until additional information could be gathered.
“I don’t think we have all the information we need to make an informed decision on what the increase should be,” said trustee Norma Lang, who made the motion to defer the decision to a later date.
The main point of contention for trustees was the lack of increased funding from the government.
“The government has not increased transportation grants for the last three years,” said Darrell Couture, associate superintendent of business and operations.
He added not only had the grants not increased when fuel prices and operation costs continue to increase, but the government had also eliminated a $318,000 Fuel Price Grant in the 2013 to 2014 school year.
The superintendent report presented to the trustees suggested a $35 per student increase to help offset the increased costs of transportation.
Currently transportation fees are $165 per student for rural students and $185 per student for urban students.
The fee decision will be revisited again this month.
