After slashing expenses and positions, the New Westminster board of education heard Tuesday night that it squeaked into the black by just $22,000 on its $62-million preliminary budget for next year, but according to one trustee, the district should have cut learning programs, not special education assistants.
Secretary-treasurer Al Balanuik told trustees that in light of the many staff layoffs - about 60 in total - and service and supply cuts, the district has man-aged to offset an estimated $5.2-million deficit for the 2013/14 school year. However, the district still owes $2.8 million from last year and is facing a possible $1.2 million deficit this year. The small surplus on next year's budget does not factor in repayment for either of those shortfalls.
After Balanuik's update this week, trustee Lisa Graham spoke to the board's decision to cut 27 special education assistants, who work with students with special needs. Graham and trustee Jonina Campbell, who chaired the meeting, had a couple of tense moments at the meeting. Graham wanted to discuss the cuts, while Campbell tried to move the meeting along.
"I still struggle with the SEA (cuts), I don't think it's a realistic number," said Graham, whose autistic son is a New Westminster Secondary School graduate. "I think the number is far too high.
"Why have we not looked at programs?" she asked. Campbell tried to curtail Graham from commenting on an issue Campbell said wasn't on the agenda that night and had been decided.
"I haven't been here for discussions," said Graham, who missed some board meetings as her father wasn't well and recently passed away.
The board already voted on whether to cut special education assistants the previous week - Graham and trustee James Janzen voted against the cuts.
"None of the decisions have been easy, and no one wants to see any staff cuts," Campbell said. "We are at the point, though, to cut one staff member or to save one job is to cut another. . There are no more options.
"We are not going to be making any decisions here," Campbell said, then she looked toward the roughly six members of the public who attended the meeting.
"I want to give the public a chance to speak," Campbell said.
"It's not on the agenda right now. I'm not going to allow it," she told Graham.
Board chair Michael Ewen weighed in, saying," I understand it's frustrating for Lisa, but these are conversations we've had.
"We have never, never, never cut that much before," he said, referring to the $5.2 million.
Trustees agreed that next year they would have to look at possible cuts to learning programs.
"We need to start examining programs," Ewen said. "We all know moving forward we are losing programs next year."
"I think we need to look at IB (International Baccalaureate) and consolidate our alternate programs," Graham said.
Before the board could cut any programs, Campbell said it would have to go through due process and involve the public.
The budget also includes $900,000 for cost pressures, as suggested by consultant Joan Axford, who came in last fall to review the district's financial management. The provincial government is considering putting a tax on international revenue, which may take a chunk out of next year's profit.
Another concern is the conversion costs from HST to GST/PST, Balanuik said.
He estimated the move would cost the district about $260,000.
"It's not clear to me," Cook says about the HST cost. "Let's have the discussion another time."
"Some good news one day, that would be great," Campbell said, laughing.
Balanuik responded, saying, "To me this is good news, . we are in the black."
