In the News: Alberta school board says it’s being forced to cut seats for First Nation students

A school board in southern Alberta says it is being forced to cut 150 school seats allocated for First Nations students because of the federal government.

Canadian Rockies Public Schools says its had to cut nearly half of the 306 seats that have been allocated for Stoney Nakoda Nation students in the upcoming school year in September because of funding cuts from Indigenous Services Canada.

Board chair Brian Callaghan says something like this has never happened before.

““We have never seen an action like this in all the years we’ve have been dealing with funding,” he said.

Canadian Rockies Public Schools Superintendent, Christoper MacPhee, says the board wasn’t given a clear answer as to why this is happening.

“When we met virtually with the director general of Indigenous Services Canada from Ottawa he said to us very clearly ‘I can only guarantee 50 per cent funding for the following year’ and there was zero reason given to us,” he explained.

The funding is part of a trilateral agreement between Indigenous Services Canada, Canadian Rockies Public Schools and Stoney Education Authority, that provides the option for students from Stoney Nakoda Nation to attend the division’s schools.

The head of Stoney Education Authority, the body responsible for providing education services in Stoney Nakoda, says it will accommodate students who are no longer able to attend Canadian Rockies Public Schools, but it’s going to be hard.

“We are going to have to scramble. For the most part our schools are at capacity as a district we are going to have to get together with our principals and our directors and our admin team to figure out how we are going to pull this off, because it is going to be a challenge,” said Bill Shade.

Jen Smith has a daughter who attends CRPS’ Exshaw School and says she and her daughter feel for the families who are potentially left scrambling on what they are going to do next.

She also worries the reduction in funding could impact cultural education.

“I don’t think she slept at all last night. For her it’s what the other kids will miss out on; Grade 8 this year they do Tipi raisings. They learn how to build a Tipi, for graduation they design and sew ribbons skirts and shirts,” Smith said.

CityNews reached out to Indigenous Services Canada for comment.