With 2 million dollars no longer in the Prince Rupert School District budget, job losses are on the horizon at SD 52.
It’s anticipated that job reductions will be implement across the system from teaching to support, as well as administration and management staff.
Faced with declining enrollment, collective agreement arrangements, an elimination of the previous surplus and a reduction in funding from Victoria, the local School district is left to face perhaps one of its most dire of circumstances in many years.
The Daily News featured the latest developments in Thursday’s paper with a front page story.
JOBS ON THE LINE AS SCHOOL DISTRICT MULLS $2M SHORTFALL
Needing to save cash, jobs are top of the list of items to cut says district
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Pages one and two
With decreased funding and budget challenges, School District 52 will be removing nearly $2 million from its spending on wages, benefits, service and supplies during the 2008-09 fiscal year.
It’s anticipated that job reductions will be implement across the system from teaching to support, as well as administration and management staff.
Faced with declining enrollment, collective agreement arrangements, an elimination of the previous surplus and a reduction in funding from Victoria, the local School district is left to face perhaps one of its most dire of circumstances in many years.
The Daily News featured the latest developments in Thursday’s paper with a front page story.
JOBS ON THE LINE AS SCHOOL DISTRICT MULLS $2M SHORTFALL
Needing to save cash, jobs are top of the list of items to cut says district
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Pages one and two
With decreased funding and budget challenges, School District 52 will be removing nearly $2 million from its spending on wages, benefits, service and supplies during the 2008-09 fiscal year.
.
School District 52 Secretary-Treasurer Kim Morris sent out a press release to local media this week that confirmed the district will experience a serious budget shortfall for the upcoming school year, as it attempts to build a budget with only 95 per cent of the previous year’s funding.
“Since all school district’s wages and benefits consume anywhere between 80 per cent to 95 per cent of a school district’s budget, the cuts will be made heavily to wages, and in fact jobs,” said Morris’ report.
“There is some natural reduction in work force as a result of declining enrollment but not enough to nearly cover the shortfall.
“School closure savings have been committed to enhance programs and will not be included in the district’s plant to meet its budget shortfall,”
The district’s workforce will be reduced at all employee group levels,, including teaching, support, administration and management staff, and will affect the local International Union of Operating Engineers, Prince Rupert District Teachers’ Union, the Prince Rupert Principal’s Association and exempt staff at the board office.
The situation is one that School District 52 has not had to deal with before, a result of declining enrollment, collective agreement increases, surplus elimination and funding shortfalls.
Although SD52 receives the same $25,209,564 Operating Grant for 2008-09 as it did this year, after removing the $3,026,459 Labour Settlement Grant from the equation, the district is working with less money to accomplish its goals than in the past and is not receiving “funding protection” on 99 per cent of last year’s budget.
What SD52 will be working to accomplish during the coming months is the balancing of the 2007-08 budget, reducing the effect of cuts on students in classrooms, looking for additional efficiency, continuing with plans for the alternate education program, and starting to project the possible shortfall for 2009-10.
Senior management is encouraging all interested parties to attend the next Advisory Budget Committee meeting on Wed, May 28, which will be held at the Meeting Place across the street from the school board office.
The ABC meeting agenda and supporting documentation is available at the school board office beginning today, Thurs. May 22.
Anyone wishing to view other pertinent information, such as operating grants, budget instructions and other school districts’ funding can visit www.bced.gov.bc.ca/k12funding.
School District 52 Secretary-Treasurer Kim Morris sent out a press release to local media this week that confirmed the district will experience a serious budget shortfall for the upcoming school year, as it attempts to build a budget with only 95 per cent of the previous year’s funding.
“Since all school district’s wages and benefits consume anywhere between 80 per cent to 95 per cent of a school district’s budget, the cuts will be made heavily to wages, and in fact jobs,” said Morris’ report.
“There is some natural reduction in work force as a result of declining enrollment but not enough to nearly cover the shortfall.
“School closure savings have been committed to enhance programs and will not be included in the district’s plant to meet its budget shortfall,”
The district’s workforce will be reduced at all employee group levels,, including teaching, support, administration and management staff, and will affect the local International Union of Operating Engineers, Prince Rupert District Teachers’ Union, the Prince Rupert Principal’s Association and exempt staff at the board office.
The situation is one that School District 52 has not had to deal with before, a result of declining enrollment, collective agreement increases, surplus elimination and funding shortfalls.
Although SD52 receives the same $25,209,564 Operating Grant for 2008-09 as it did this year, after removing the $3,026,459 Labour Settlement Grant from the equation, the district is working with less money to accomplish its goals than in the past and is not receiving “funding protection” on 99 per cent of last year’s budget.
What SD52 will be working to accomplish during the coming months is the balancing of the 2007-08 budget, reducing the effect of cuts on students in classrooms, looking for additional efficiency, continuing with plans for the alternate education program, and starting to project the possible shortfall for 2009-10.
Senior management is encouraging all interested parties to attend the next Advisory Budget Committee meeting on Wed, May 28, which will be held at the Meeting Place across the street from the school board office.
The ABC meeting agenda and supporting documentation is available at the school board office beginning today, Thurs. May 22.
Anyone wishing to view other pertinent information, such as operating grants, budget instructions and other school districts’ funding can visit www.bced.gov.bc.ca/k12funding.
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