SD57 Trustees ‘reluctantly’ pass budget for 2022/23

The roughly $175m budget will see reductions out of the classroom including reductions in furniture spending, professional development and travel, along with more cuts to the corporate section of the district according to staff.

“The operating fund presented in the 2022/23 budget has been balanced with the use of $103,826 surplus appropriated for future budgets. It is important to note that this was only achieved through significant reductions in department level expenditures. Which, while keeping the cuts directly away from the classroom, will ultimately impact the classroom experiences of students in SD57” Trustee Tim Bennett reported.

Patterson also clarified the budget for teachers has actually seen a boost over a cut that was past reported from the district earlier in May.

The difficulty facing future boards was not undermined in Tuesday’s discussions. With the continued use of surplus funds the sustainability of that is something that especially troubled SD57 Board Chair Sharel Warrington.

Warrington spoke at length about not approving a balanced budget in protest of stagnant funding despite inflation, but noted that was not a favourable option.

With flat enrollment for SD57 and static funding per student the pressure to the provincial government is growing.

by Caden Fanshaw

SD57 Trustees ‘reluctantly’ pass budget for 2022/23

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