Despite initial student busing concerns, audit of CBE offers no recommendations

An audit of the Calgary Board of Education's finances — which included a focus on concerns over student busing — offers no recommendations on how the school board could improve its service.

The deep-dive audit of the CBE's transportation, administration and finances was announced last spring.

It was largely prompted by parents' confusion and anger after the CBE eliminated community-based school bus stops in favour of larger, congregated locations.          

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But the final draft of that audit by Alberta Education offers the province's largest school board no recommendations for improving the system. 

If anything, said CBE board chair Trina Hurdman, Alberta Education learned from how the CBE delivers transportation.

"I think what the government took away from this was ideas to give to other boards on how to make their transportation systems more sustainable," she said. 

"I think they learned a lot when they came here and reviewed our transportation system to understand the complexities in it and all the steps we've taken in order to create a sustainable transportation system."

The review found that the CBE responded quickly to complaints regarding transportation this past fall by immediately moving or adding 35 congregated stops, adjusting more than 100 routes and adding seven buses to overcrowded routes.

Education Minister David Eggen says much of the concern from parents was based on the fact that the CBE had historically offered services above and beyond what was mandated.

"The CBE's choices around level of service regardless of where students are attending their designated school or [school] of choice is expensive, and it's complicated," he said. "That kind of raised the expectation, for sure, and so people have to understand that costs more money."

Eggen said it was important to also acknowledge that the CBE has been making positive changes around its bus routes and stops throughout the year.

The review made no recommendations about sharing transportation services between school boards, but Eggen said he favours sharing resources and infrastructure.

The CBE said it doesn't share buses with the Calgary Catholic School District but is open to discussing it.

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