School District No. 46 (SD46)'s tight 2010/11 budget cuts $2 million in teacher, staff and administrator positions.
"We continue to not be able to afford the kind of supports that I think we'd like to have in our schools," school board chair Silas White said at the Tuesday, June 4 meeting, where the board adopted the budget.
White said that declining enrolment is a significant factor behind the cuts, given that the Ministry of Education funds districts on a per pupil basis.
Next year's budget totals $35.6 million, compared to this year's amended annual budget of $37.2 million. On Tuesday night, SD46 assistant secretary-treasurer John Pritchard identified a few revenue losses relative to last year, such as Strong Start drop-ins for children under five and their caregivers, which received one-time start-up funding this year of $40,000; and investment income, which totalled $30,000 this year, and which the district won't generate going forward due to a new Ministry disbursement approach.
White said the district is also facing a new expense this year: a "buffer" or contingency fund of approximately $300,000, to be used in the event of any unexpected capital or staffing requirements.
In prior years, the district - which can't run a deficit - had unrestricted operating surplus money in the bank, and thus wasn't required to budget for contingency. This year, the district had to draw on much of that surplus to balance its budget after the Ministry eliminated the district's $1-million annual facilities grant last fall.
"That [contingency fund]'s certainly a new expense in this budget," White said. "It indicates that we're tapped right out."
Employee cuts include teachers, administrators, educational assistants, support staff and teachers-on-call. District staffing will not be completed until final student headcounts are finalized in September, however superintendent Deborah Palmer has said that staffing cuts will likely amount to between four and six per cent reductions across teachers, staff, and administrators.
"This has been a very difficult budget this year," White said, adding the district sympathizes with employees who have lost their jobs in the cuts. "We certainly met as a board more than I've ever experienced as a trustee. It's been a really tough one."
