VERNON – It looks like Okanagan school boards will have more tough budget choices to make this year. The provincial government has asked boards around the province to find $54 million in back office savings over the next two years. Now Okanagan school districts know just how much they’ll be on the hook for.
Watch: 2015 BC Budget: Education spending
It means that while students are off for spring break the Vernon School District was busy fielding questions about spending cuts over the next two school years.
“To find this money without impacting the classroom is going to be very challenging. Pretty well every piece of administration that is done here is done to further the cause of achieving a 100 per cent success rate for all our students,” says acting secretary-treasurer for the Vernon School District, Adrian Johnson.
The Vernon School District says next school year it must find $437,000 in savings in its budget. In the Central Okanagan School District that number is $1.1 million.
Paul says right now it looks like in the Central Okanagan School District they are coming up around $1 million short.
“Certainly the administrative cuts is giving us a target that the government wants us to look at so that is focusing us on areas where we are going to have to also review,” says Paul. “There may be some areas where we still have to go into other parts of the budget.”
At a stop in Kelowna last month, B.C. Premier Christy Clark denied that any cuts would be felt in the classroom.
However, some feel the province has not done its homework.
While the province is asking school boards to find savings, their budget also included plans to increase spending on K to 12 education mainly to cover the terms of collective agreements with the BCTF and CUPE.
“British Columbians expect their tax dollars to be used wisely and that every available education dollar is going to help children in the classroom,” wrote a Ministry of Education spokesperson in a statement. “While boards will receive a funding increase next year through the new collective agreement, they have also been provided with an administrative savings target.”
The Vernon School District is looking for public input on next year’s budget. They are holding a public meeting at the Schubert Centre on April 1 at 6:30 p.m.
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