As a result of possible cuts to transportation funding, the Northwest Catholic District School Board may have to consider a reduction in busing services.
The board first learned back in July that its funding from the Ministry of Education would be cut by 10.7 percent, or about $94,000. In November, that projection was changed to a decrease in funding by 5.7 percent, or nearly $53,000.
On the other hand, coterminous school boards Keewatin-Patricia and Rainy River District are slated to receive increases of 35.4 and 21.6 percent, respectively.
The Catholic board passed a motion at its regular monthly meeting on Saturday to send a letter to Education minister Gerard Kennedy asking him to reconsider the funding cuts.
“There’s a potential cut to transportation service,” Superintendent of Business Chris Howarth warned trustees.
Howarth noted transportation funding currently accounts for about seven percent of the board’s $14-million budget.
In a draft of the letter to Kennedy, the board explains that because of its small size, it cannot negotiate individually with school bus operators. Instead, it must agree to contracts reached by the larger public boards.
“Our small size makes it difficult for us to have a great deal of influence in the negotiation process,” the letter reads, adding the large funding increases expected by the coterminous boards will exacerbate this situation.
“In order to achieve savings, we are forced to turn to reduced service levels,” the draft continues.
In a written report to the board, Howarth said the board likely will have to change its half-day, every day kindergarten program being offered in Dryden and Sioux Lookout to an all-day, alternate-day program.
“Other service levels to be examined are door-to-door kindergarten service offered in Fort Frances, as well as our overall walking distances, which are under provincial standards,” the report reads.
If the cuts are not enough to compensate for the loss of funding, the Catholic board may be forced to incur a deficit.
“We will be forced to fund this deficit from non-classroom funding envelopes, such as administration,” the report notes. “This will have an impact on the operation of the board in terms of reduced services in other areas.”
The letter urges the ministry to reconsider the cuts to transportation funding for boards “who have little ability to enact transportation savings.”
Howarth noted the new provincial funding model has not yet been finalized.
Also at Saturday’s meeting, the board heard more information regarding Catholic secondary education to help it decide whether or not to expand the current program.
Superintendent of Education Al Cesiunas said the Education Act states separate boards may form agreements with coterminous boards to offer religion courses, but must maintain “a school within a school,” with its own registration, its own principal, and its own identification number.
Cesiunas also gave the board some statistics regarding the number of potential students in a Catholic secondary program.
Cesiunas said about 23 percent of Grade 9 students from Fort Frances High School come from St. Francis, 23 percent of Grade 9 students at Dryden High School come from St. Joseph’s, and 21 percent of Grade 9 students at Queen Elizabeth District High School in Sioux Lookout come from Sacred Heart.
And Our Lady of the Way in Stratton graduates account for about 41 percent of Grade 9 students at Rainy River High School.
Cesiunas added administration still is researching the subject, and is not yet prepared to offer an opinion to the board. The matter is scheduled to be on the agenda at the board’s next meeting in January.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
