With summer vacation right around the corner, the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) is already preparing for the fall with the unveiling of its preliminary budget for the upcoming school year.
The 2023-24 preliminary budget was presented to trustees during a special board meeting Tuesday, detailing over $1.1 billion in possible expenses.
The report predicts that 75 per cent of the budget will go toward instructional tools and programs, including $180,000 to support the development of an anti-Black racism strategy as well as an anti-Islamophobia strategy.
Mark Fisher, TVDSB director of education, said the buildout of these strategies is an “opportunity for the board to try and be proactive.”
“What we heard from many members of these communities was that if they brought issues forward, they really didn’t go anywhere, or they weren’t treated with the level of gravitas or seriousness that would be expected,” he said Tuesday.
“I think one of the interesting things that we have done as a board, which is very different than other districts, is this kind of community outreach program and the work of the equity advisory committee being going out, listening to the community, and meeting with individuals face to face.
“When you have those type of meetings, we correlate the feedback from each and every meeting, and we’re hearing a lot of positive things but we’re also hearing some things that are less positive in terms of the experiences different members of marginalized communities have had in the past, and we need to be open to hearing that information.”
The report said the strategies will be developed in “collaboration with community partners that affirms Black and Muslim identities, supports community connectedness, builds understanding and respect, and establishes accountability for all of TVDSB employees.”
The realignment of Indigenous education funding was also mentioned in the report, with an additional $3.5 million for its revision.
Additionally, new to the report and in support of the school board’s operational plan is the inclusion of around 43 full-time equivalent (FTE) classroom literacy support teachers (CLST) and four FTE secondary school support counsellors.
Also listed in the preliminary budget is a projected 2,000-student rise in enrolment, said to push total enrolment next year to over 84,400.
However, the budget also predicts a potential $6.7-million compliance deficit for the 2023-24 school season. The report said the potential deficit could be due to a combination of expenses that end next year and those that require “review and changes of processes and procedures to reduce over the next two years.”
The report added that the COVID-19 learning recovery fund will also drop by $11.2 million as the one-year grant provided during this past school year will end on Aug. 31.
The grant funded various school board positions, including 61 full-time secondary teachers, 21 literacy support teachers, more than 28 elementary school supervisors and more.
“For those things that were funded through that COVID recovery fund last year, we diligently reviewed the budget and found other sources of funding,” said Cathy Lynd, TVDSB superintendent of business. “For example, we did include the student supervisors, as well as funding for FTE CLSTs to continue to support our schools in that work.”
The report also states the need to address special education needs with an increase of $1.3 million in funding. A new funding framework has also been put in place for student transportation, set to also see an increase of $2.9 million.
Another large portion of the preliminary budget focuses on pupil accommodation, including an increase to support the ratified CUPE central collective agreement, among others.
The school board says it’s seeking public input regarding the 2023-24 budget. The deadline for submitting online public input applications is June 7 at 9 a.m.
“As the fourth largest school board in Ontario, the Thames Valley District School Board is home to more than 83,000 students, each with their own unique set of needs,” wrote Sherri Moore, chair of the TVDSB planning and priorities advisory committee. “Public input is vital to guiding the Board’s budget to ensure that every Thames Valley student has equitable access to programs, resources and opportunities that lead to success.”
Input from the public will be shared at a special board meeting on June 13 at 6 p.m. Budget debate and approval will be held on June 20.
More information about the 2023-24 budget can be found on the TVDSB website.
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