Education budget cuts, I find it hard not to agree when CBE sends emails like this

[rage2]

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My kids are in TLC; it is about 12 km straight line, and 9 km via road.

Does the route include warp points?

[mrsingh]

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Does the route include warp points?

Haha no, but I probably need to find some to get out of Kincora and down Beddington Trail most days.

I rechecked it, looks like 6km straight line, 9km via road. The original number didn't make sense to me either, looks like I need to check into some TLC remedial math classes.

[Masked Bandit]

The $800 per year for the kids that are in the 1.6 KM to 2.4 KM zone but still attending their designated school might be a bit much but I have no problem putting that cost on the kids that are attending non-designated schools for special programs (french immersion for example). If you want to send your kid to a school three communities over there SHOULD be an extra transportation cost for that.

A student public transit pass is $77 but for the extra $3 to ride the cheese-wagon and avoid CrackHead Cory on public transit seems like a deal.

[mrsingh]

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The $800 per year for the kids that are in the 1.6 KM to 2.4 KM zone but still attending their designated school might be a bit much but I have no problem putting that cost on the kids that are attending non-designated schools for special programs (french immersion for example). If you want to send your kid to a school three communities over there SHOULD be an extra transportation cost for that.

A student public transit pass is $77 but for the extra $3 to ride the cheese-wagon and avoid CrackHead Cory on public transit seems like a deal.

I agree with this, I have no problem paying extra for my kids to attend TLC. My issue was the dropping of transportation for kindergarten one way and having to figure out how to drop the kids off at school in the middle of the day. If it costs extra, I am willing to pay, but I understand that not every parent may feel the same way.

[rage2]

Interesting that they're finally moving down to grade 6 for using Calgary Transit. Never understood why. I was doing it in Grade 3 on my own with a "free ride" orientation week with the parents at the start of the year.

[mrsingh]

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Interesting that they're finally moving down to grade 6 for using Calgary Transit. Never understood why. I was doing it in Grade 3 on my own with a "free ride" orientation week with the parents at the start of the year.

Rage in our day we could also ride our bikes to the store, crossing major streets, and go to the park alone. Things sure have changed...

[Masked Bandit]

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I agree with this, I have no problem paying extra for my kids to attend TLC. My issue was the dropping of transportation for kindergarten one way and having to figure out how to drop the kids off at school in the middle of the day. If it costs extra, I am willing to pay, but I understand that not every parent may feel the same way.

That is kind of fucked up. Thankfully my crotch-goblins are long past kindergarten so I don't have to worry about it. I wonder if there will be an option for full day?

[nzwasp]

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I agree with this, I have no problem paying extra for my kids to attend TLC. My issue was the dropping of transportation for kindergarten one way and having to figure out how to drop the kids off at school in the middle of the day. If it costs extra, I am willing to pay, but I understand that not every parent may feel the same way.

I have no problem paying extra for the two way. The cut was made not because its unnecessary but because the parent survey said they wanted CBE to balance the budget and didnt mind service cuts to allow them to do that.

Full contents of email:

Dear parents/guardians,

In January 2020, the Board of Trustees directed CBE administration to balance transportation costs using only provincial funding and user fees. They also asked that feedback be gathered in support of the development of a balanced 2020-21 transportation budget.

As a result, the CBE conducted an online survey in March 2020. We were pleased to have extremely high participation on this survey, with 10,000 responses. All of the feedback gathered through the survey was reviewed and carefully considered in making decisions about the 2020-21 transportation budget and services.

The table below summarizes the decisions made regarding the 2020-21 transportation budget and services and how these decisions respond to feedback provided by students, parents, staff and community members on the online survey. Survey feedback asked that the CBE use a combination of fee increases and reducing non-mandated services to balance the transportation budget, and this approach has been adopted by the CBE.

2020-21 Transportation Fees & Services





The full survey results, facts about the 2019-20 transportation budget and services and more information about the 2020 transportation engagement are available at cbe.ab.ca/dialogue.

More detailed information about CBE transportation services is available at cbe.ab.ca/transportation. In order to be included in the yellow school bus route planning for September, families need to register using My CBE / PowerSchool by Sunday, June 14, 2020. You can start to register on May 19, 2020.

We are making these plans for the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, however, the re-opening of schools is based on recommendations of the government. Re-entry plans have not been finalized.

These are difficult decisions and financially challenging times. We know these changes will have a significant impact on some families, but these changes are necessary to ensure the CBE has a balanced transportation budget that does not require funds to be redirected from the classroom to subsidize transportation.

Waivers will continue to be available for eligible families. As the waiver application process is currently under review, more information will be coming later this spring.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to share their thoughts and perspectives with us. We have done our best to respond to the feedback you provided.

Sincerely,



Dany Breton
Superintendent, Facilities and Environmental Services

[mrsingh]

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The cut was made not because its unnecessary but because the parent survey said they wanted CBE to balance the budget and didnt mind service cuts to allow them to do that.

The problem is that when people answer the surveys, the questions don't always lend themselves to what the resultant outcome will be.

[nzwasp]

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The problem is that when people answer the surveys, the questions don't always lend themselves to what the resultant outcome will be.

For sure. When people read cuts they probably think that there will be less buses taking the same amount of students to school not that a whole service will be cut entirely leaving the parents to fend for themselves.

[ExtraSlow]

Kindergarten is optional, and busing two ways twice a day is expensive, WAAAAY worse than other scenarios, so I can see why they don't do it.

[Tik-Tok]

My daughter is going to kindergarten at a TLC school as well, but they decided to do alternating full days to accommodate the bus cuts, instead of everyday a half day.

Thankfully I don't have to care. We're walking distance.

[nzwasp]

Our school sent us an email about the Kindergarten Program and that after the bussing survey they have decided against the Alberta Governments recommendation to do away with half day K classes and to keep it as it is with the one way bus.

So in response to that we have decided since we have to drive our kid to school and work from home and then not bother with the afterschool care at all. In my area afterschool care for K kids is $1300 and Grade 1 onwards is 750. So we are saving over $2000 by not having our kids in afterschool care for 2 to 4 hours a day.

[dirtsniffer]

#aspen holy fuck. I pay $1000 a month for a registered dayhome for a 2 year old. I think brightpath is $1300 for full time!

[Tik-Tok]

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#aspen holy fuck. I pay $1000 a month for a registered dayhome for a year old. I think brightpath is $1300 for full time!

That's about average for a dayhome. We pay $900 #notAspen.

Daycare is usually $1300-1600 per kid. Bother have their plus's and minus's

[nzwasp]

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#aspen holy fuck. I pay $1000 a month for a registered dayhome for a year old. I think brightpath is $1300 for full time!

I dont even live in Aspen, im aspen adjacent. But the afterschool cares that service my school do seem to be pretty expensive, I think a dayhome might be a bit cheaper.

I do believe they put their prices up to this amount because they think people in this area can and will pay more even if it shouldnt be.

Infact the place we used for daycare (same as the one above) when we first moved here was $1600 for a 2 year old. We decided we preferred a place down by westbrook / bow tr for $900 and the hours were better, and the care was better. This place we most recently used was very convenient but the hours weren't as good. The other after-school care that is about 300m from the school is even more expensive (1350 no meals at all provided - pre covid) and their hours are 7.30 to 5.00 or 5.30 which I think is not very accommodating for working parents.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Bump. (Perhaps unworthy bump...)

CBC really working the important details. You see, there were people advising on the curriculum revamp who actually made (I hope you're sitting down) $400 for an entire day's work. They paid a lawyer that outrageous rate for a total of 63 entire days!!! Another person got 38.5 days with of work at $400/day!!!
What a gravy train! They must have retired right after cashing in on that inconceivable windfall, at our taxpayer's expense.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...view-1.5908177

Pick a lane, shit-dicks. You want everyone to get "a living wage" and you can't conceive what $50/hour looks like, with your Sociology degree, from your mom's basement.
Fuck completely off.

[ExtraSlow]

wait, I thought consultations with outside advisors was supposed to be a good thing? Or is the ATA the only advisor we need?

[Xtrema]

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Bump. (Perhaps unworthy bump...)

CBC really working the important details. You see, there were people advising on the curriculum revamp who actually made (I hope you're sitting down) $400 for an entire day's work. They paid a lawyer that outrageous rate for a total of 63 entire days!!! Another person got 38.5 days with of work at $400/day!!!
What a gravy train! They must have retired right after cashing in on that inconceivable windfall, at our taxpayer's expense.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...view-1.5908177

Pick a lane, shit-dicks. You want everyone to get "a living wage" and you can't conceive what $50/hour looks like, with your Sociology degree, from your mom's basement.
Fuck completely off.

So you are mad that UCP is spending money to validate their changes to the curriculum left over from the NDP?

[JRSC00LUDE]

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So you are mad that UCP is spending money to validate their changes to the curriculum left over from the NDP?

No, he's mad there's outrage that someone got paid a reasonable wage for reasonable work by the same people who complain no one is ever paid enough.