The cash-strapped New Westminster school district is holding a special open meeting tonight to deal with the 2012/13 amended budget, which it had to scramble to put together because secretary-treasurer Brian Sommerfeldt is off on medical leave.
"It's just a matter of with Brian off sick, it's much more complex to put it together," board of education chair Michael Ewen told the Record.
The board is meeting tonight to discuss the latest installment of this year's budget at 6:30 p.m. at the New Westminster Secondary School library.
Al Balanuik, the district's assistant superintendent, has been doing Sommerfeldt's job while he is away. Ewen doesn't know how long Sommerfeldt will be off.
Balanuik has been able to call on Joan Axford, a consultant the district hired to review its books last fall, Ewen said.
"She's provided some advice," he said. "She's not sitting there writing figures, but I think Al's been in touch with her saying, 'OK, what about this and what about this?'"
Axford was brought in after the board learned about a "surprise" $2.8 million deficit from last year. At the time, Axford told the board that it faced another hefty $2.2 million deficit this year. As a result, the district has cut services, staff and supplies in order to offset the shortfall.
The board has to pass the amended 2012/13 budget by tonight, and the final budget for the year must be passed by the end of June.
