Big staffing cuts on the horizon for BSD
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/02/2022 (1292 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Brandon School Division is forecasting a loss of 10.69 full-time equivalent teaching positions in its 2022-23 operating budget, according to a news release that was sent out late Friday afternoon.
However, the division stated in the release that the reductions won’t include classroom teaching positions.
Instead, the cutbacks will be relegated to positions that involve: speech-language pathologists (one FTE), psychologists (one FTE), high school lunch supervision (one FTE) and the Reading Recovery program (0.75 FTE).
Friday’s update also outlined the outright elimination of certain positions and programs as a cost-saving measure, like the Health Care Aide Program ($45,500), the Youth Revolution Program co-ordinator position (one FTE) and attendance officer position (one FTE).
The school division is hoping to compensate for the reduction by including 9.36 FTE support staff in the 2022-23 budget, including a 3.27 FTE increase in education assistants to reconfigure high school lunch supervision.
This news comes three days after BSD’s board of trustees announced that they must contend with a $1.2 million shortfall in order to balance next year’s operating budget.
During Tuesday’s public presentation, trustees mostly attributed the enormity of this budget deficit — which was around $720,500 last year — to the province’s insistence on freezing the rate at which they can collect property taxes for revenue.
Combined with additional variables such as inflation, increased enrolment and the rising cost of utilities, BSD officials revealed on Friday that their operating expenditures for the next academic year will balloon up to $114,491,500 (or $119,807,000 with capital expenditures).
By contrast, the division approved a $109,822,700 budget for the 2021-22 school year, something they only accomplished by cutting 2.44 FTE teaching positions and 2.61 FTE support staff (alongside some other major budget items).
However, BSD is still setting aside some money for new resources in 2022-23, like $70,000 for truth and reconciliation teaching tools and six modular classrooms for Maryland Park School and Vincent Massey High School.
BSD trustees will go over the budget in more detail during their next public presentation, which is scheduled to take place Monday at 7 p.m.
After that, the board of trustees is set to give the 2022-23 operating budget final approval on March 7.
Interested stakeholders who wish to present to the board of trustees during Monday’s meeting should submit a request to BSD executive assistant Berni Sangster (sangster.bernadene@bsd.ca).
» The Brandon Sun