SD #19 (Revelstoke) found itself facing the same harsh choices as other boards around the province this year, in trying to offset provincial underfunding to balance its $10 million budget. Despite efforts to find admin savings, the board was forced to cut libraries and transportation to maintain teaching ratios.
News
Revelstoke Times Review: School board cuts teachers to balance budget
June 29, 2010
Alex Cooper, Revelstoke Times Review
The Revelstoke School District presented a balanced budget of more than $10 million at last week’s meeting of the board of education.
“We have a budget here that has a minimal impact on services to kids, it addresses the responsibilities we have for carbon neutrality and it sustains student-teacher ratios,” treasurer Barbara Ross told the board at the June 23 meeting.
The $10,099,943 budget represents a decrease of $221,109 from last year, two-thirds a result of a reduction in government grants.
To make up the difference, the board reduced full time teaching staff by an equivalent of about 2.6 positions, which is in line with a decrease of just over 40 students. “Overall salary and benefits decreased by $117,000,” said Ross.
The cuts are a result of enrolment decline and fewer teaching blocks at the high school and fewer classes at Columbia Park and Arrow Heights elementary schools, said Bill MacFarlane, president of the Revelstoke Teacher’s Association.
“Certainly part of that is due to the enrolment decline but the reality is the government is just not funding education the way it should be and hasn’t been for a long, long time,” he said in an interview. Read more
Revelstoke Times Review: Support services position being downgraded
May 31, 2010
Alex Cooper, Revelstoke Times Review
The school district is downgrading the title of the person in charge of support services from principal to vice-principal and cutting back on their hours as a way of saving money.
“We have downgraded that position as a budget saving measure in terms of the title and we will do with a little bit less staffing than I have enjoyed,” said district superintendent Anne Cooper
The decision was made as a result of the departure of Jane Morris, outgoing district principal for support services.
“With her leaving it certainly was an opportunity as part of our budget deliberations to determining if we could find any efficiencies there,” said Cooper. “The goal always is protecting the services in classrooms and in schools to kids.” Read more
