One of our stories this week is about a nationwide contest Herons Crossing School's council has entered, in hopes of winning $20,000. Our newsroom would encourage readers to read that story on page 18, and then go to the KidoodlEd contest website to vote for Herons Crossing's submission. June 15 is the last day to vote in the contest.
When interviewed for our story, the chair of the school's council, Elise Andrews, told us if they are selected as one of the contest's five winning schools, they intend to use the $20,000 to replace broken or damaged phys-ed equipment, upgrade technological resources, and add security cameras at Herons Crossing School to help deter vandalism and other property crime from occurring on campus.
We're crossing our fingers that Herons Crossing wins this contest, but we also can't help but feel this is a pretty dystopian way to secure adequate funding to support students. Everything the school council wants to use the potential winnings to pay for – computers for students to use, new badminton racquets and birdies for phys-ed class, two new security cameras – sound like things that should be covered by the school's own budget, or by the school division.
Even with increased provincial funding for education this year (5.2 per cent, as per the 2023 budget), it seems public school divisions have to penny-pinch to support students.
Our newsroom has reported on the space crunch at some of Airdrie's public schools for a few years now. Herons Crossing is probably the best local example of a school in Airdrie bursting at the seams. According to the council's chair, the school is operating at a 110 per cent utilization rate and in just over a decade has gone from being a kindergarten to Grade 5 school to a K-8 school. The school wasn't designed for older students and there's now overcrowded classrooms and a lot of wear and tear on the building.
