Districts in financial straits….. a sampling…. (newspaper articles)

School district grapples with $1.6 million shortfall, Lake Cowichan Gazette, Mon 30 Mar 2009

“A $1.6-million shortfall going into budget talks means Cowichan school trustees will struggle just to maintain services in the valley during the coming school year.”

“…School District 79 …. has $72 million in revenue for the 2009-2010 school year, to maintain current operating expenditures requires more than $74 million.”

School district budgets for student decline, Terrace Standard, Tue 31 Mar 2009.
Molly McNulty

“THE COAST Mountain School District will be receiving nearly $1 million less for the next school year due to fewer student numbers.”

Spending down, Prince George Free Press, Tue 31 Mar 2009. Opinion

“…Our district will run out of the "surplus" that they have been funding government cuts and shortfalls with for the last five years, in the 2009-10 school year. We cannot forget that much of this money came from the closure and selling off of school buildings and lands. For the coming school year (2009-10) the province has not increased the money per student funding that they give to schools.”

Is B.C. really the Best Place on Earth?, Alberni Valley Times, Fri 03 Apr 2009. Ken Zydyk

“…Provincial Government funding levels for SD70 and several other school districts for the 2009/2010 school year are frozen at 08/09 levels. As a result, further cuts to programs and services are anticipated as the school district will be spending proportionally more of their budget to meet increases in fixed costs such as hydro and the carbon tax.”

School District 43 looks at cutting teachers and custodians, The Tri-City News, Wed 01 Apr 2009. Diane Strandberg

“School District 43 (Coquitlam) is looking at cutting teachers, custodial services and noon-hour supervision for high school students in order to balance its budget for next year.

As many as 22 teachers will be lost to the system because of declining enrolment and another 20 could go if SD43's board of education adopts the recommendations of its senior leadership team.”

“Youth workers, student services staff, supplies, learning support teachers, information technology staff could be cut, too.”


“…the board was told that it will get $2 million less because of declining enrolment and faces a total $4.1-million shortfall unless it makes some cuts. Among the cost pressure are higher utility, salary and benefit costs.”

“While SD43 got more money from the province this year, $1.39 million based on an enrolment decline of 400 kindergarten to Grade 12 students, it wasn't enough to cover contractual wage increases and other issues.”

“Trustees were also told that the district's per-pupil allocation of $5,581 hasn't increased since 2007/'08 and remains one of the lowest in the province.”

School bus fees not likely solution; To balance the budget, about $1 million in cuts will need to be made by the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district, The Daily News (Nanaimo) Fri 03 Apr 2009. Robert Barron

“… where nearly $1 million in cutbacks will come from, no one can say.”

“… the school district is facing a shortfall of about $1 million for 2009-10.”

“Nanaimo-Ladysmith is not alone in having to make difficult decisions. The Kelowna school district … looks for ways to cut $3 million from its budget."

Budget pressure on school trustees; Public meeting held to review $1.7-million shortfall for 2009-10, Penticton Herald Fri 03 Apr 2009. Scott Trudeau

“…Okanagan Skaha school trustees will have to do some fancy footwork to address a $1.7-million budget shortfall.”

“…the district is projecting an enrolment decline of 130 students next year, about a two per cent decline.”

"But the budget pressure is not easing as staff salaries and benefits continue to climb, as do the costs for supplies and services,"

“Despite a $294,000 operating grant increase from the ministry, the district's total income revenue is still down about $600,000. This is combined with a $1.14-million expenditure increase, which includes labour settlement and benefit costs.”

“Adding to the school district's financial woes, the government has already stated student funding is being frozen for the 2010-2011 school year, which is the first time since 2002-03 that has occurred.”


School-bus fees coming; District must cut $3m from budget, The Vancouver Province Fri 03 Apr 2009. Elaine O'Connor

“Faced with a $3-million budget cut, Central Okanagan school district …”

“District superintendent Mike Roberts noted in a March 24 report that the district has a $168.4 million budget for 2009/2010 -- $5 million more than the year before -- but that "the cost of all current programs, personnel, resources and materials will rise by a greater amount" to $171.4 million.”

“In 2008, the board cut $4.4 million from its budget. Over the last decade, they've closed or amalgamated more than a dozen schools.”

"All the districts in the Okanagan and Thompson, with the exception of Gold Trail, are facing shortfalls with transportation budgets….”

School boards face budget shortfall; North Van short $3.2M despite provincial funding increase of 2%, North Shore News Wed 25 Mar 2009. James Weldon

“NORTH Shore schools will be facing a shortfall in the millions of dollars next year despite the province's promise to boost education funding across British Columbia.”

“..the Ministry of Education announced it was adding $84 million -- or about 1.9 per cent, to its $4.5-billion education budget for the 2009-2010 school year.”

“…West Vancouver's education ministry grant will rise by a little over $1 million to around $47,400,000 -- an increase of roughly two per cent.”

“But while the figures may look good on paper, the view from the ground is much less rosy, said Irene Young, the North Vancouver school district's secretary-treasurer.”

“Staff salaries and benefits continue to climb, as do the costs of powering and maintaining facilities.”

“At the same time, the district is projecting a decline in other forms of revenue, such as interest on investments, fees from international students and now-exhausted surpluses held over from previous years.”

“All told, North Vancouver is looking at a $3.2-million shortfall.”

“Despite West Vancouver's rise in funding, it too is feeling the pinch.”

"It is probably going to be our most challenging budget year in my seven years (with the district)," said Geoff Jopson, West Vancouver's superintendent of schools. "We (have) to find about $1.3 million in total to meet our needs."”