A glimpse into just how much COVID costs might be

Expected expenses range from replacing absent staff to purchases of PPE

A “risk assessment” distributed to Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustees on Wednesday offers a peek into the extra expenses school boards face as students head back to class in the COVID era.

The assessment, part of a 32page memo with responses to questions from trustees, offers estimates on the anticipated costs.

Some costs would normally be covered as part of annual operating budgets, but new funding has been confirmed or is anticipated.

The memo cautions that spending plans are in flux as new information becomes available about requirements for reopening schools and instructional requirements for online learning.

In other words, things will change. For now, these are among the big-ticket COVID -related expenses for Ottawa’s largest school board:

$3M-$6M to replace absent staff: Workers in the education system will be encouraged to use caution when they feel unwell. Many positions in the board require that replacement staff be found when a worker is absent from normal duties.

“Increased sick leave usage is highly likely and, as a result, presents a significant risk of overspending,” warns the memo.

It’s also too early to know whether there are sufficient potential new recruits to cover absent workers, particularly teachers, custodial staff and student support workers such as education assistants.

$4M-$5M for personal protective equipment: Masks, gowns, gloves and eye protection, have been acquired to ensure that schools can safely reopen in September. Current estimates suggest a onemonth supply of PPE will cost $500,000.

The Ministry Of Education has announced that it will co-ordinate with school boards and the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services to ensure an appropriate supply and timely delivery. The board expects the province to provide supplemental grants of $2.1 million toward the costs.

There continues to be “significant uncertainty” in the risk of supply costs due to both product costs and consumption rates, the memo.

“If the pandemic escalates to the point of system closures, the board may realize cost savings,” the memo said.

“However, if virus transmission rates remain low, then additional costs could be incurred due to localized outbreaks in schools and the resulting need to provide deep cleaning in affected schools.” $2M for technology: The board plans to acquire another 5,000 Chromebooks for remote learning. Most of the cost will be covered by existing grants.

$1.95M for enhanced cleaning: Supplemental grants will pay for enhanced cleaning practices and other funds are pending, said the memo. Most of the funding will be used to provide additional custodial staff to ensure regular and thorough surface cleaning to reduce the likelihood of surface-based transmission of the virus.

$1.4M for transportation cleaning and PPE: The Ministry of Education has said new funding will be provided to support enhanced cleaning of buses and PPE for drivers. The $1.4 million figure is based on an estimate and may differ from what the school board eventually gets from the province.

$1.3M for elementary school staffing: A recent funding announcement confirmed new money to hire additional elementary teachers to help limit class sizes, promote physical distancing and support remote learning.

The funds will pay for the equivalent of 12 full-time teachers. (The average compensation cost of an elementary teacher is $106,300, including contributions to pensions, CPP and EI.)

Federal funding announced Wednesday will give the board $2.1 million for additional teachers. That will reduce class sizes, but at this point it’s unclear how much, said chief financial officer Mike Carson.

$800,000-$1M for desk dividers: The school board has purchased more than 23,000 desk dividers to safeguard students where physical distancing is not feasible.

Additional dividers may also be needed over the school year. Other purchases include the Plexiglas to make office partitions and signage and markings to encourage safe movement in schools.

$875,000 for enhanced cleaning supplies: A supplemental grant is anticipated to augment the regular budget.

$552,323 for ventilation: They expected there will be funding for enhanced ventilation requirements. The money is needed for more frequent air filter changes, buying air purifiers for spaces with limited fresh-air intake and additional monitoring and calibration of HVAC systems.

It is also assumed that there will be increased energy use since the systems will be operating more frequently.

$397,782 for additional mental health supports: Supplemental COVID grants will allow the board to expand services provided by psychologists and social workers.

$367,000 for health and safety training: This is for occasional teachers and casual education workers who replace absent staff or provide temporary support. $230,000 for enabling technologies: The board has licensed Google Enterprise, which is used by educators to interact with students participating in remote learning.

$100,000-$200,000 for communications: The board hopes that most communication initiatives with staff, students and the community can be addressed using the existing budget. But increased advertising, translation services and information sharing will likely result in higher costs. jlaucius@postmedia.com