Simcoe County District School Board trustees worked through its 2022-23 budget last week, with spending remaining tight over last year’s numbers.
The public board’s 2022-23 proposed budget was presented at the May 4 business and services standing committee meeting, and is slated for final approval by trustees on May 25.
Projected operating revenue for the 2022-23 school year is nearly $654 million, an increase of about $29 million over 2020-21 projected numbers. The majority of the funding is provided through the provincial government through Grants for Student Needs — which is tied to enrolment — to the tune of $640 million.
“The SCDSB has a balanced budget continuing with our long-standing record of fiscal responsibility and accountability,” said superintendent of business and facility services Corry Van Nispen. “Operational pressure points include special education, with the continuously growing needs of our students’ transportation and the ministry funding model under review, this may address it but until that occurs, pressures will continue.”
Enrolment is expected to jump within the board this year by about 1,400 students, bringing the total number of expected students across the board to 55,925. This breaks down further to 39,300 in the elementary panel and 16,625 in the secondary panel.
Staff salaries and benefits represent 86.1 per cent of the total operating budget. In the 2022-23 school year, there is an increase of 78 full-time positions at the board due to increased enrolment. The majority of these staff are assigned to two new elementary schools that are slated to open in September in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
“I think it’s great that we’re in a position to hire a lot of new staff, but I just wondered how we're making out on hiring those staff with all the shortages,” asked Barrie trustee Beth Mouratidis.
Superintendent of human resource services Brian Jeffs said hiring full-time permanent teaching staff hasn’t been an issue at the board, that the issue with hiring currently affects educational assistants and occasional teachers, and the issue is sector-wide.
“I think the fall will be telling with respect to occasional teachers in both panels,” said Jeffs, noting that during the most difficult parts of the pandemic, the board has hired emergency staff in order to fill gaps.
Orillia-Ramara-Severn trustee Jodi Lloyd noted that 23 educational assistants (EAs) within the board would not have contracts renewed, as they were the recipients of a one-time funding source that expires in December.
“How we will offset the implication of the elimination of 23 EAs within the system when we're having a significant increase in enrolment at the same time?” asked Lloyd.
Superintendent of student achievement Chris Samis said the board had invested in a large number of EA positions over the years. He said that in this budget there are also 17 additional special education resource teachers (SERTs) to be hired.
“You can see a significant increase in the prioritization of hiring more SERTs,” said Samis.
Overall, Lloyd said she was pleased to see continued investment in graduation coaches for Black and Indigenous students, and investments in social workers at the board.
“I think the feedback we've had from these programs has been very positive and I think these investments are needed and are required,” said Lloyd. “I'm very pleased to see the steps that we are taking to address some of the inequities within the system.”
New Tecumseth trustee Sarah Beitz noted that education development charge (EDC) expenses were essentially doubled this year over last, from $24.9 million in 2021-22 to $42.2 million in 2022-23. The revenue from EDCs between the two years only increased by $4 million, from $13.7 million to $17.4 million in the same time period.
EDCs are a way for school boards to collect funds from growth-related development to purchase land for new schools and to pay for site work required to prepare to build schools. They are used exclusively for school-site acquisition and preparation.
“We're gonna add $12 million to that deficit at least every year and I just wanted to highlight that,” said Beitz.
Van Nispin said EDC increases were a direct result of the SCDSB being a growth board. Lloyd noted the matter had been raised with the Ministry of Education but the board had not received a response to their concerns.
Capital expenditures, which cover new school builds and major infrastructure investments, are calculated separately as they are funded through different sources. The SCDSB will be spending $144,069,000 on new school builds and other capital projects in 2022-23.
