Sandor Gyarmati
Delta Optimist
Friday, May 02, 2008
The Delta school board has approved its most painful operating budget in recent memory.
On Tuesday, trustees voted in favour of implementing a number of staffing cuts in order to balance the books and make up a $3-million shortfall.
"We made every effort to avoid cuts inside the classroom but ultimately they will impact the classroom," said superintendent Steve Cardwell. Last week, Cardwell and secretary treasurer Grant McRadu released the district's tough budget, which proposed cutting 26 full-time equivalent positions. The staff cuts focused on both schools and the school board office, affecting administration, custodial, teacher-librarians, clerical and educational assistants.
There was a sliver of good news at Tuesday's board meeting, though. The board announced it would dip into its depleting reserves once again, this time to the tune of $100,000. McRadu noted the money would be used to maintain hours for teacher-librarians and education assistants and administration time for vice-principals. He explained the result will be fewer layoffs, but in the end there will still be over 20 positions axed.
The deficit, the worst the board has seen in almost a decade, is attributed to a number of factors, including a loss in government grant funding and a decline in student enrollment. Another factor cited is a decrease in international students.
The district was hoping to expand its international program last year but needed land to build a student dormitory. After the municipality turned down a land swap proposal and the district wasn't able to find another suitable location, a lucrative contract with a Korean firm to bring in more students went to a district elsewhere.
The board intends to look at attracting more international students from other countries. The school district, which already has three sports academies, also hopes to earn more revenues with a soccer academy to open in September.
A plan for an equestrian academy, however, was scaled back to a program in the continuing education department after trustees agreed this week it was too risky a proposition to open a full academy at this point.This board also agreed this week to follow the lead of other districts in setting up a business company that could sell educational services overseas.
While work on several fronts will take place to keep revenues flowing, cuts that have been avoided for years still have to take place and, unless more provincial dollars come through, it could well be the same story next year, said Cardwell.
In addition to addressing the budget shortfall for the upcoming year, district officials say they must adjust fiscal practices to reflect the new reality of a lower student population.
"If jobs can be improved and efficiencies made then that's the message that we have to send to every single person in this district. This is a critical time and every single person in this district has to do their part," said trustee Gordon Masi.
The board also agreed to come up with a "needs budget" to highlight the funding required if the district simply wanted to maintain the same level of services.
