A 2012-13 school year operating budget of $326,631,216 was approved by the Upper Grand District School Board at the last monthly meeting of the current school year on June 26.
The budget, in development since February, is balanced and compliant with all Ministry of Education requirements and the government’s provincial budget constraints for education which do not provide for any salary increases for staff.
“This is a good News budget,” said Bob Borden, chair of the board. “We have managed to allocate our resources wisely, with a focus on the classroom and an emphasis on literacy, numeracy and student well-being.”
Built into the budget are funds that assist individual children who cannot afford to participate in programs or activities, as well as increasing funding for transporting rural students to Sports events. The staffing level for educational assistants has also been preserved at 2011-12 numbers.
Declining enrolment is now a factor at secondary schools, while there are slight increases at the elementary level due to the ongoing implementation of full-day kindergarten. However, over time the board is seeing a decrease in enrolment across both panels.
The capital budget of $47,756,646 is separate from the operating budget and includes funding for projects to implement full-day kindergarten, build new schools and undertake school renewal projects.
The budget will be posted on the board’s website.
