INNISFAIL - Schools across the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) division are working hard to address food scarcity issues, says superintendent of schools Kathleen Finnigan.
In the division’s quarterly report presented to trustees at the recent board meeting, Finnigan said schools and their community partners are coming together to make sure students don’t go hungry.
The 10,400 student RDRCS division includes schools in Olds and Innisfail.
“We have seen many issues around food scarcity therefore we are thankful to Alberta Education for the nutrition grant accessed by the majority of our schools,” said Finnigan. “Our high school and middle school cafeterias support our students with food made in their kitchens with loving hands and full hearts.”
The quarterly report includes stories about how various schools, including Innisfail’s St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School, are working to address food scarcity issues.
The St. Marguerite story reads: “We have a variety of feeds in the school that some of our families cannot meet. We do not have a Mustard Seed organization that supports our school, so we need to develop different ways to support students needs.
“We aim for all students who require breakfast to start the day with something in their bodies. We would also like to start to have lunches available for student and backpacks to go home with students at the end of the day once or twice a week. We have a number of families in need in our school community.”
The quarterly report also includes an update on current issues facing human resources in the division.
Staffing numbers for the 2022-23 school year are fairly stable, with 1,173 staff, including on the substitute roster, she said.
“This number has risen from 1,116 in 2020-21 and 1,136 in 2021-22,” she said. “Some of the fall hires were due to an increase in complex learners at the Early Childhood level.”
Support staff absences is proving to be a significant issue this school year, she said.
“With a roster of only 59 support staff substitutes, a growing number of unfixed vacancies has created challenges for teachers and administrators,” she said.
“We continue to try and recruit new substitutes by advertising in our parent communities as well as utilizing online job platforms in addition to our standard application platform.”
Finding enough bus drivers also remains a challenge in the division, she said.
“Bus drivers are proving difficult to hire and retain in the current economic market,” she said. “Some drivers are moving to other sectors where certified and safety-trained drivers are in demand. In response we have had to initiate signing incentives, as well as paying for time spent in training.”
The division continues to support the arrival of students from the Ukraine, she said, noting as of Sept. 30, there were 66 such students enrolled in RDCRS.
“As we continue to receive our Ukrainian brothers and sisters into our schools, the Government of Alberta recognizes that we require funding to enhance language acquisition, as well as social and educational support,” she said.
“The senior administration team is currently in discussion with school administrators regarding the allocated funding and logistics moving forward.”
The complete quarterly report is available for viewing on the division's website.
