School District No. 57 (SD57) has passed a balanced annual budget for the 2020-21 school year.
Although the $168,187,644 figure was approved last night (June 16) at the board of education’s regular public meeting, it was not without its challenges.
The Operating Fund has been balanced without use of surplus appropriated for future budgets, and Board Chair Tim Bennett says it’s important to note that this was only achieved through considered reductions in department-level expenditures.
“This year we put together what our expected revenues were and what our expected expenditures were and we had about an $800,000 challenge we needed to make up,” says Bennett.
He says the challenges came from a few different areas notably inflationary costs and some costs associated with CUPE bargained increases.
“We are very conservative when we work on our enrollment counts just to make sure are buildings are staffed accordingly,” adds Bennett.
“We are funded per student because we are looking at a very small dip that would attribute to less funding coming in.”
Bennett said departments worked really hard to find efficiencies to make up the difference in the budget.
“One of the things that came from our expanded committee of the whole was to make sure any cuts came as far way from the classroom as possible so kudos to our departments,” says Bennett, adding a balanced budget in SD57 is always a good news story.
“I think we were able to do so including things like a further commitment to youth mental health, we put in some really good measures last year around providing additional administrative support to our rural schools, and we were able to continue those initiatives and still be able to submit a balanced budget,” says Bennett.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us especially if funding starts to decrease or we don’t know what the world of COVID is going to present to us, but I am really proud that our district was able to pass a balanced budget tonight with those additional supports in without having to cut money from existing programs or schools
During its meeting, the board also passed the 2021-22 Five-Year Capital Plan Summary which has to be submitted to the Ministry of Education by June 30.
A $75.3-million replacement project for D.P. Todd Secondary School, intended to address capacity challenges in the current building, is the top of the wish list for the ministry.
The board of education also tabled approval of its updated Board Policy Manual until the terms and references of the Truth and Reconciliation Ad Hoc Committee are approved by the board.
Trustee Trent Derrick suggested the new policies should first be reviewed by this yet-to-be-formed committee before being adopted by the board.
If adopted, the new Board Policy Manual, containing 21 policies, will replace the existing 95 policies and bylaws 4 of the district.
Policies constitute the will of the Board in determining how the district will be operated and communicate its values, beliefs and expectations.
