The Delta School District is proposing to make $1.9 million worth of spending cuts and borrow $1 million from reserves into order to partially shore up a projected $3.46 million deficit for the next school year.
Those cuts include 16.09 FTEs (full-time equivalent positions), although five of those FTEs are contingencies and will not result in lost jobs. The other 11.09 FTEs won’t necessarily mean layoffs either, said school district secretary treasurer, Joe Strain.
The budget deficit can be chalked up a significant projected enrolment decline, a 47 per cent reduction of the province’s bus funding over three years, an increase of teacher and employee benefit costs, and the carry-forward of a $1.7 million shortfall from last year.
This is despite the fact the ministry of education increased the per-student funding formula to $6,900 this year from $6,784 the previous year. The school district says it just isn’t enough to cover rising costs.
“Some of our work has been hard to do knowing it will be impacting on our vision,” said district superintendent Dianne Turner, who added they are committed to maintaining initiatives like aboriginal education, technology, elementary music, and teacher mentorship.
The district will look for efficiencies in its staffing, which means reducing one FTE English Language Learning teacher (formerly called ESL) and 3.69 F TE educational assistants for students with special needs, that will save over $250,000. But Turner said that may entail shuffling teachers to schools where the need is greatest and tweaking classroom sizes on a minute scale.
“How is it going to affect us?” asked Turner. “We won’t know right away.”
The district will need to wait until September in order to assess where the need is greatest.
One of the biggest shortfalls in the budget comes from cuts by the ministry of education to bussing students.
“The transportation issue is significant,” said Turner. “It’s a big change for our district.”
The province slashed 47 per cent, or $728,000, from the funding formula over three years, resulting in a sudden and unexpected budget shortfall. The district will be forced to reduce its bussing budget by $380,000 in each of the next two years as a result.
To accomplish that shortfall in transportation funding, the budget recommendation is that district remove all walk limit and safety bus routes, and while special needs children will still be picked up, Turner said the future of that service will require work to create greater efficiencies and could not be guaranteed either.
Declining enrolment is another culprit in the deficit, with Turner saying an estimated 320 fewer students across the district has led them to look at focusing on increasing revenues from international students and continuing education classes, two competitive markets among school districts in B.C.
Strain said school districts have been struggling year after year to find efficiencies in spending, but with salaries accounting for 90 per cent of the budget there’s precious little left to cut.
He said they are well beyond the point where school districts don’t get the things on their wish list—cuts are now impacting core services.
Public input on the budget will take place at the next school board meeting on Tuesday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. For more info, contact 604-952-5340 or tnelson@deltasd.bc.ca.
SD37 cuts
Administration: $284,357
School staffing: $700,000
Education programs and materials: $185,697
Special programs: $253,671
Student bussing: $380,000
Total cuts: $2,461,725