Victoria schools budget in black

The region’s $236,999,264 Greater has largest an Victoria for overall with about budget school 20,000 district, of students, the

the “It board’s was pretty vice-chairman, smooth,” Tom said Ferris, of the approval process. “There had been a lot of discussion about it so there wasn’t that much for us to really debate.”

Measures were taken to ensure the budget would be balanced, Ferris said.

“We brought some one-time savings from last year and also a bit of money that had come into the district over the year.”

There will be a surplus of about

$2.9 million, said district secretarytreasurer Mark Walsh.

Among the budget highlights are the preservation of professional-learning support funds at schools. Ferris said those funds are available to teachers and other groups. Also being affirmed is the “technology for learning” strategy, which ensures that equipment used in the district can be replaced and maintained. Along with that, $100,000 is being moved to the Childcare Capital Reserve to support existing child-care spaces in the district with facility upgrades as needed. The money is coming via revenues from the child-care providers themselves. In the Saanich school district, home to about 8,000 students, the end of budget deliberations is approaching.

“I would expect that the budget would be approved in May,” said secretary-treasurer Jason Reid. “We have a special budget meeting scheduled for May 7.”

Final approval is anticipated to come on May 16, Reid said.

In the 10,000-student Sooke school district, the 2018-19 budget will likely have its second and third reading on May 8 before receiving final approval on May 22.

Superintendent Jim Cambridge said the budget does not pose any big problems.

“It looks like a status quo budget moving from this year to next.”