The Wellington Catholic District School Board has passed its budget for the 2011-12 and it includes a forecast of a $1.3-million.
The board filed a deficit reduction plan to be implemented over the next two fiscal years.
Expenditure variables contributed to this year’s shortfall. They include:
– one-time costs for the replacement of the board’s student administration system for $300,000;
– special education expenditures exceeding the funding allocation. The board is restructuring to reduce staffing costs. That includes reduction of 15 full time equivalent educational assistant positions for a savings of about $690,000. The model of program integration for most students will continue;
– the board’s administrative support structure in schools exceeds the provincial allocation by about $770,000. That is a combination of support staff allocations in the schools and an average salary and benefits structure that exceed allocations; – costs continue to rise for utilities and employee benefits and, combined with decline in enrolment, are critical factors.
The budget includes salary and benefits costs, largely determined by provincial mandate. Other elements of the budget that support direct service to students include:
– elementary and secondary English language programs;
– high skills programs;
– alternative education services for students who would be in jeopardy of not completing high school;
– administration to offer leadership on all sites;
– new acquisitions of materials in theology and science;
– Aboriginal education;
– Guelph Lake environmental studies programs that have been offered for over 25 years;
– technological infrastructure conversion; and
– high school chaplains who continue to have a significant impact on the lives of students.
The board stated in a press release reserves have been allocated that will help offset the deficit.
