Central Okanagan Public Schools will face some financial juggling to overcome the $2.055 million fiscal ‘pressure’ on the 2023-24 school district operating budget.
The preliminary deficit comes despite a 9.4 per cent increase in per pupil funding from the ministry of education and child care, which will cover the negotiated increases for teachers and support staff and help cover some of the school district’s inflationary costs and increased public education needs for the next school year.
The 2023-24 budget proposal report from the superintendent of schools/CEO Kevin Kaardal is on the agenda for the next public finance and audit committee meeting Wednesday, April 5, at 4 p.m.
The budget preliminary report indicates the $2.055 million budget pressure can be alleviated by leveraging a one-time benefit holiday for both teachers and support in the fall of 2023, along with shifting food costs, currently supported by CommunityLINK funding to the new Provincial Food Program recently announced by Victoria.
This will allow the school district to redirect mental health costs from the budget operating fund to CommunityLINK, a provincially funded initiative designed to help support the academic achievement and social functioning of vulnerable students.
For the 2022-23 school year, the board of education had to overcome a $3.3 million deficit.
In advance of the provincial budget being unveiled in February, the school district had voiced several budget areas of concern at a Zoom forum hosted by the Central Okanagan Parent Advisory Council.
Among the most significant were increased operating grant funding to meet inflationary cost increases and possible relief from rising portable costs absorbed by school district operating funds, due to rising enrolment with schools district-wide currently at 106 per cent of capacity utilization.
On both of those counts, provincial funding fell short of potential expectations.
The preliminary report cites several items due for significant operational adjustments for the 2023-24 school year:
• increased teaching full-time equivalents resulting from anticipated enrolment growth
• expected incremental salary grid increases for teaching staff
• increased teacher illness costs
• increased CPP, EI, WCB and benefit costs
• establiment of additional bus route in West Kelowna to support student growth
• higher diesel fuel costs for school buses
• anticipated salary adjustments for principals, vice-principals and exempt management staff
• increased costs for portable needs
• increased costs related to the seven new childcare spaces (custodial, utility, maintenance, etc.)
The report outlines what budget requests have been submitted by various employee groups and a recommended response from the school superintendent.
CUPE asked for increased staffing to address workload demands. The proposed budget calls for the addition of one FTE grounds position and one FTE bus driver.
The Central Okanagan Principals & Vice-Principals Association asked for additional teaching staff for classroom support, social-emotional, literacy and numeracy; increased mental health support; increase to behavioural and classroom CEAs; and various other services, supplies and capital items.
The budget response calls for the addition of two social-emotional teaching staff.
From a list of requests from district staff, the preliminary budget lays out a need for a business manager to assist with expanding demands both for the International Education initiative and support for refugee and immigrant students and their families.
Hiring a manager of privacy and cyber security to ensure the school district is in compliance with new requirements under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and to maintain data security standards.
Addition of one FTE for the sexual health education program, which is currently under the board of education review, to meet increased student enrolment and meet ministry program delivery standards.
Adding additional resource teaching and CEA support to meet the anticipated growth of students with unique needs in the classroom as well as an unprecedented increase of English as a Second Language support demands.
Previous approval of school bus transportation fees for students to meet increased diesel fuel rates.
Kaardal’s final budget recommendation will be considered at the committee’s April 19 meeting, with a recommendation forwarded to the board of education at its April 26 meeting.
Final budget adjustments can be made up to June 21, with the board facing a June 28 deadline to submit a final budget to the ministry for approval.
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