The Hardisty and District Development Group met in late April to discuss a number of ongoing issues of concern to group members.

It was noted at the meeting that 18 families, representing 34 students, have submitted requests for cross-jurisdictional boundary exemption requests to the Buffalo Trail Public Schools (BTPS) Division for the coming 2021/22 school year, asking to be picked up in Hardisty and transported to Irma School. Hardisty students fall under the Battle River School Division (BRSD) jurisdiction.

When BRSD closed the Allan Johnstone School in Hardisty in 2020, these parents chose to send their students to Irma School over Central High Sedgewick Public School, outside of the BRSD region, and into the BTPS Division.

Informal discussions requested by the Group between BRSD and BTPS about bussing ended with BRSD indicating it had no interest in allowing BTPS busses into their region nor having further discussion on the issue, the Group says.

Funding for a private bus to transport students from Hardisty to Irma was raised by the community for the 2020-21 year, but sustaining that level of private funding, tens of thousands of dollars, is not realistic for future needs, the Group knows.

Coincidentally, Alberta Education began work to improve K-12 student transportation in May, with two audit teams to review student transportation operations of up to 15 school divisions by this fall in the first phase of a new action plan.

The second phase of the student transportation action plan will include work to enhance regional cooperation among school divisions. That’s potentially good news for Hardisty students and families.

Phase two will also examine a provincial purchasing program for buses, fuel, insurance, and parts.

The final phase of the transportation action plan is planned for 2022-23 or 2023-24, the development of a new student transportation funding model.

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Leslie Cholowsky,
Editor