Staff
The Rainy River District School Board last night passed a balanced budget of $48,388,008 for the 2011-12 school year.
“This is a budget that is based on enrolment—it drives everything we do as far as services that we provide and funding that comes in,” Superintendent of Business Laura Mills said in a presentation at the special board meeting.
Next year’s projected enrolment is that of just over 2,700 students, Mills noted—a decrease of an estimated 99 students, or 3.5 percent.
This decrease in enrolment means a reduced grant revenue, she explained, as well as a decrease in funding when it comes to areas such as special education, transportation, and “supported schools” (schools defined as rural elementary schools that are 20 km or more from other elementary schools in the board).
The budget also has been affected by constraints on the amount of funding provided for technology, as well as changes to the formula when it comes to funding native studies and languages.
While balanced, the budget also sees the board withdrawing $1,090,000 from reserves to cover the costs of various initiatives.
These include a student achievement coach, aboriginal immersion, assistive technology, internal audit and cashless school project, curriculum coaches, an aboriginal achievement leader, later literacy education assistants, professional collaboration sites, a “Student Success” math coach, and the amortization of the renovated Education Centre.
“We’re pleased with the budget,” said board chair Michael Lewis, noting the difficulties which come with declining enrolment.
Lewis also stressed that drawing on reserves to ensure certain programs continued was important.
“[The director of education] and her staff worked very hard at convincing us that it was the correct thing to do in terms of keeping those programs going, helping the student achievement and the well-being of the students,” he remarked.
