Ryley mayor requests return of outreach worker to school

By Patricia Harcourt
Editor

Ryley Mayor Cyndy Heslin spoke for many in the community when she asked Battle River School Division officials to return funding for a school outreach worker in the local school.

A letter to local trustee Rebecca Heiberg was signed by herself, Tofield Mayor Nabil Chehayeb and Beaver County Reeve Bob Young. But the BRSD officials were also given 16 letters of support signed by key school supporters such as the RCMP, Victim Services, principals, students counsellors and students themselves.

After her presentation, she said: “It was well received and they assured me they would take our concerns back to the table for future plans.”

When cuts were made to education funding in March of last year, the outreach worker position at Ryley also went by the wayside. The $107 million province-wide cut was restored by the new premier, Alison Redford, with BRSD receiving $1.014 million of that amount.

“From 2006-2010, BRSD shared funding for the position of school outreach worker,” said Heslin in her statement at a BRSD stakeholder meeting Feb. 15th at the Ryley School. “But due to budgetary restraints, $30,000 was eliminated from BRSD.

More see the Feb. 22/12 issue of the Tofield Mercury