School District 57 staff have come up with a plan to deal with most of a more-than $2 million budget deficit heading into 2024-25.
According to a presentation posted on the SD57 website, www.sd57.bc.ca, the district is expected to receive $177.7 million in revenue for operations, with $175 million coming from the provincial government.
The total from the province includes a three per cent increase in answer to wage increases for unionized and non-unionized staff but does not account for the effects of inflation on other costs.
Student enrolment is expected to stay little changed and hover around 13,200.
Broken down, expenses are projected to add up to $178.8 million, or $1,115,335 more than projected revenue. As well, $958,623 is to be put toward purchases of computers, equipment and vehicles, further pushing the shortfall up to $2,073,958.
According to the presentation, staff has been working to find ways to reduce expenses that will have the least impact on students and programs and on the district’s lowest-paid employees.
Staff’s plan calls for a reduction in school administration positions ($459,000), a $30-per-student reduction in the allocations to each school ($390,000), reducing staffing, supplies and services at the district learning commons ($270,000), eliminating the currently-vacant Indigenous education director position ($220,000), decreasing staff in the facility services department ($167,000), lowering the supplemental allocation to small rural schools to reflect declining enrollment ($155,000), eliminate a half-time professional development coordinator position ($67,000), eliminate the travel budget for the cultural performances program ($20,000), staffing reductions for student transportation ($14,000), and eliminating coffee supply at the central administration office ($7,000).
It all adds up to $1,770,000 and leaves $303,958 left to trim.
On the Indigenous educator position, SD 57 Supt. Jameel Aziz said an assistant superintendent is currently leading the department “and providing very high levels of leadership and support.”
School districts in B.C. must present balanced budgets to the Ministry of Education by the end of June and there are a few steps left to go between now and then.
An opportunity for the public to provide comment online remains open until Friday, May 3, at www.sd57.bc.ca, with a Tuesday, May 7 deadline for comments via other means.
A draft budget will be taken to the business committee on May 14, a closed meeting, then to a review by the advisory committee on May 21.
It will be on the agenda for trustees’ regular monthly meeting on May 28. Depending on how the discussion unfolds, it will be passed through all three readings on that date or limited to two readings with a special meeting to follow on June 4 for third and final reading.
