Central Okanagan

Trustees in the Central Okanagan are struggling with 3% budget cut for next year – a shortfall equivalent to Vancouver’s much-publicized $18 million budget crisis:

News reports

Lake Country Calendar: Funding cuts provoke instability

Chris Law, Lake Country Calendar

September 28, 2010

In preparation for the 2011 provincial budget, a 10-member finance committee consisting of government and opposition MLA’s, is in the process of making its way around the province. Its job is to collect input from citizens and organizations on topics that they would like to see addressed in the upcoming budget.

Last week the committee was in the Central Okanagan with a stop in Lake Country.

The presenters concerns were largely specific to their own interests however, a common theme that was touched on by most was the need for sustained funding from the province to non-profit organizations. Read more

Trustees chop community school funding

Sue Menard – Kelowna Capital News

June 24, 2010

The Central Okanagan Board of Education decided Wednesday to rescind the funding for the Rutland Community School.

The decision creates a precarious future for the community school, which now faces a $4,000 per month deficit.

While the board vocalized support for the Rutland Community School at their June 23 meeting, the decision was made to cut financial support for the program.

The community school concept was first funded and advanced by the B.C. Ministry of Education.

In the mid-1990s funding was reduced and then eliminated from direct provincial funding. Read more

Full-day kindergarten cost would be better spent covering education deficit

David Buckna – Kelowna Capital News

May 7, 2010

If the Campbell government put a hold on full-day kindergarten, scheduled to begin in half of B.C.’s elementary schools in 2010-2011, the $151 million allotted for it could be better spent restoring the chronic underfunding of school districts. Read more

Cost of roof would cover education deficit

Blair Watson – Kelowna Capital News

May 7, 2010

Re: Kelowna’s school district forced to make do without $4.7 million while the Campbell government spends $458 million for a new roof in Vancouver.

The CBC reported this week that the B.C. government has approved the expenditure of $458 million to replace the fabric roof of B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver with a retractable roof.

There’s nothing wrong with the current roof, which was repaired in 2007 and has worked fine since then, including for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Meanwhile here in Kelowna, 17 teachers and 22 other staff in our school district (No. 23) are losing their jobs… Read more

Education minister doesn’t understand what a deficit is

Alistair Waters – Kelowna Capital News

May 4, 2010

Somebody needs to tell B.C.’s education minister it’s not right to blame someone else for something you do that’s wrong.

The Central Okanagan School District finalized its 2010-11 budget last week and to balance it, the board had to chop 17 teaching positions and 22 support staff positions.

The moves had to be made to offset a $4.7-million financial “shortfall.” Some would call it a deficit.

But if you ask Education Minister Margaret McDiarmid, she’ll tell you the local school district—as well as every other one in B.C. except Langley—does not have a deficit. Read more

School district chops 40 positions

Vernon Morning Star

May 4, 2010

More restriction on money flowing from the provincial government for education is showing effects downstream with the cuts of more than 42 positions across the Central Okanagan School District. Read more

Okangan board cuts teachers, support staff

CHBC News – Vancouver Sun

April 29, 2010

Teachers and support staff are bracing for job losses and program cuts at Kelowna-area schools. Faced with a budget shortfall of $4.7 million, the Central Okanagan School District is poised to slash costs.

Last night the board’s finance committee approved Superintendent Hugh Gloster’s proposed cutbacks. Gloster told trustees that no schools will be closed, “but nearly every department will feel the pain.” See article & TV news report

BC Liberals accused of eroding public education
Jason Luviw – Kelowna Capital News
 April 22, 2010

B.C.’s Liberal government is lying to taxpayers about how it’s funding public education and it’s time provincial politicians come clean about the kind of money that’s really needed to run local schools, according to Central Okanagan Teachers’ Association president Alice Reece. Read more

Kelowna school jobs and programs cut
Kelowna.com
 April 22, 2010

The Central Okanagan School District is proposing some serious cuts to jobs and programs in order to deal with a budget shortfall of $4.7 million dollars.

The recommendations include eliminating 17 teaching positions mostly through attrition, 8 special needs teaching assistants, 5-and-a-half custodial positions, and the equivalent of 3 bus drivers positions. Read more

SD 23 begins making tough choices
Kelowna News
 April 21, 2010

It will be no ordinary meeting when School District 23′s Finance and Legal Committee gets together Wednesday night. Read more

For the third consecutive year, the committee is being forced to make recommendations on how to slash a sizable chunk from the district’s operating budget.

School district needs to trim $4.7 million
Kelowna.com
 April 12, 2010

Hugh Gloster had to look no further than his own office when he began compiling a list of budget items for placement on the chopping block.

The Central Okanagan School District’s superintendent is trying to balance the 2010-11 budget by carving out $4.7 million, which equals a roughly 3-per-cent cut to projected expenditures of $166 million.

His recommendations are contained in a report that will be submitted to the school board at its meeting on Wednesday, but which is already available online. Read article

School district staring at deficit
Mike Simmons | Kelowna Capital News
March 25, 2010

Before getting to a line-by-line dissection of the document, the Central Okanagan School District is predicting a $4.7 million shortfall in its budget for the 2010/2011 year.

Superintendent of schools Hugh Gloster said the district faces many cost pressures, noting some funds allocated by the Ministry of Education are targeted for specific programs like special education.

While useful in their specific areas, he pointed out those funds are not transferable to help alleviate deficits elsewhere.

Gloster said increased teacher costs and rising health and dental plan fees are also a pressure. Teacher costs for Grades 1 to 12 rose by $2.8 million. Read article

Looming budget deficit forces school board to consider program cuts
John McDonald | Kelowna.com
Friday, December 11th, 2009

The Central Okanagan School District is considering the unpalatable prospect of program cuts in the face of a possible $6-million deficit next year, just over three per cent of the district’s $170-million budget. Read article

Education system ‘in crisis’ despite lower class size averages
Adrian Nieoczym | Kelowna.com
Friday, January 29th, 2010

And while the government makes a big deal out of how the amount of dollars spent on education has never been higher, the rate of funding increases has not kept pace with rising costs. Over the last two years, the Central Okanagan Board of Education has had to make $7.4 million worth of cuts from its $170 million budget and could be forced to cut $6 million more next year. Read article

Contact Central Okanagan MLAs

MLA Norm Letnick, Kelowna-Lake Country (BC Liberal)

MLA Steve Thomson, Kelowna-Mission (BC Liberal)