School board staring down budget talks
The region’s public school board is gearing up for what should be some tense conversations over the upcoming budget.
Earlier this week, trustees were notified that it is projected to overshoot its budget forecasts for the current year, with supply staff costs adding $4 million to the deficit, now expected around $11 million for the year.
Staff are monitoring the situation, which could lead to the budget exceeding the minimum deficit allowed of one per cent. A budget deficit does not roll into the following budget year, and school spokesperson Ross Howey said staff will continue to monitor expenditures across all areas of the board’s operations and will provide another update in June.
Should the board find itself in a position where the in-year deficit is likely to exceed one per cent of operating revenues, staff may need to engage the Ministry of Education to review budget pressures and seek ministerial approval to exceed the threshold.
Then will come the task of approving a new budget for the 2024-25 school year, and slow progress in other school boards that have already started the public discussion hints at an uphill battle.
“We are going to be looking at serious cuts to balance this budget,” trustee Cindy Watson said during Monday’s meeting. “And I’m very concerned.”
The Toronto District School Board is already considering cuts to some continuing education programs and kids’ overnight trips to outdoor education centres, as it faces a $20.8-million deficit for the upcoming school year.
The initial estimate for the Toronto board’s deficit was $34.8 million, and staff are now recommending a series of potential claw backs, The Toronto Star reported earlier this week.
A staff report presented to its board proposed changes to the continuing education program including reducing the number of sites where international-language and African-heritage programs are delivered and eliminating community programs — which are popular among seniors but run at a deficit — and referring people to external community-run alternatives instead. The report also proposes operating adult day school at fewer sites.
For outdoor education programming, the report proposes eliminating weekend Grade 6 school trips, instead accommodating them during weekdays, It also proposes sharing transportation to overnight centres between different schools and increasing user fees for visits to the outdoor education day centres.
The report highlighted that teachers are taking an average of 16 sick days a year, which costs the board approximately $56 million more annually.
The average number of sick days used for Waterloo teachers isn’t available, but its cost are rising. When including early childhood educators and education assistants, the board is expecting to pay more than $27 million this year.
Teachers in Ontario have 11 fully paid sick days and 120 Short Term Disability Leave Plan days paid at 90 per cent salary.
The latest provincial data from the Ministry of Education 2021-22 found the average sick days used by teachers was 16, suggesting a potential new normal based on the latest Toronto numbers.
It matches public sector industry standards across Canada, according to Statistics Canada data, where public sector employees averaged 15.8 sick days per year in 2023. Private sector employees averaged 9.8 sick days per year.
Without structural changes, union leaders expect teachers to continue burning out, which may exasperate the problem in the years ahead.
“School boards are now trimming the fat off bones already picked clean. It is hard for education workers even to fathom how the system could find savings as these are larger structural issues that need to be addressed,” said Jeff Pelich, president of Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario Waterloo Region. “The Ministry of Education needs to review the education funding formula as the current model often requires boards to use discretionary funds to make up for shortfalls in essential items, which makes little sense. Wages to cover occasional staff and transportation funding are just two issues that need to be examined.”
The ministry doesn’t see it that way.
“To ensure students get back to basics in Waterloo classrooms, our government has provided Waterloo Region District School Board $781 million in funding, an increase of over $68 million in funding over the past five years, despite only a 1.3 per cent increase in enrolment over the same period,” said Isha Chaudhuri, a spokesperson for Education Minister Stephen Lecce. “To ensure students remain focused on going back to basics in the classroom, we expect school boards to manage their finances prudently.”
Facing a $13-million deficit last year, the Waterloo board was forced to find north of $6 million in savings during deliberations with reductions to central staff positions and reduced spending on technology and other commodities.
It approved an operating budget of about $850 million.
Without any large-scale changes to enrolment or funding structures, trustees will likely have to make a series of hard decisions when June deliberations come around this time.
“Our financial services staff are continuing to work through preliminary budget discussions and are considering all options to help balance the budget, while maintaining our focus on student achievement and well-being,” said Howey.
Staff will continue to monitor the overall budget and will provide additional updates to trustees throughout the year, ahead of their formal budget deliberations in June.”