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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2015-04-08, Page 7Wednesday, April 8, 2015 • Lucknow Sentinel 7 BWDSB public consultation meeting on budget Mary Golem QMI Agency Bluewater's director of education Steve Blake says "a perfect storm" is brew- ing as the board prepares its 2015-16 budget. Declining enrolment, decreasing provincial funding, excess space and a lack of reserves means putting together the legally -required balanced budget by the end of June is going to be "a huge challenge. It's going to be tough and tough decisions are going to have to be made in order to right the ship. It may take a few budgets to do that, but it is going to happen," Blake told trustees and staff at a special budget public con- sultation session Tuesday evening in Chesley. But there's more than just decreased funding and unused space to deal with. Blake says the board is paying more than $1 mil- lion over its $5 million dollar budget to cover short and long-term staff absenteeism costs. With over 50 per cent of its staff over the age of 50, higher pay for senior grid staff and payouts for gratutities "puts further pressure on the budget, but there's very little we can do or have control over when it comes to the contractural piece," he said. The board also has unsupported debt - long- term payments being made on computer equip- ment and the board's education centre in Ches- ley. "It's going to take another three to seven years before we see the light on that," Blake said, stressing he is not critical of decisions made in the past "but it is something we are left to deal with." "Really, the only place we have to maneouvre when it comes to this budget is dealing with our excess space," Blake said, adding by consolidating space, better program- ming options could be offered. As it stands now, we can't do much." Not so, according to the board's three union repre- sentatives. They, and three people in the audi- ence who did not com- ment, were the only ones besides staff and media at the board's special budget session. Betty -Jo Raddin, repre- senting the teachers' bar- gaining unit of the Ontario Secondary School Teach- ers' Federation, had seven recommendations for the board to consider, includ- ing a suggestion to sell the board's education centre in Chesley and relocate staff to the many underu- tilized schools. "Such a move would help to miti- gate the closures of schools and make better use of existing infrastruc- ture," she said. adding an ancillary benefit would be that senior adminstration staff "would be in contact with students and front line school staff on a regu- lar basis." She suggested, for example, that the entire third floor of Grey Highlands Secondary School in Flesherton, cur- rently vacant, could be used to house a depart- ment currently at the Edu- cation Centre in Chesley and that board meetings could be held in the OSCVI auditorium. "Since the cost of the board office is unsupported capital spending, such a move would create significant savings." There was no direct board response to Radd- in's suggestion. Raddin had other rec- ommendations for the SAUGEEAT MOBILITY sod REGIONAL TIRANSIT SPECIALIZED PUBLIC TRANSIT MENTALLY & PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED RESIDENTS NON -EMERGENCY MEDICAL, SOCIAL & EMPLOYMENT LOCAL AND LONG DISTANCE 519-881-2504 1-866-981-2504 Please visit us at saugeenmobility.ca board to consider "in order to minimize the impact of budget decisions which directly affect our stu- dents', including a sugges- tion that full amount of funding for textbooks and supplies be used. Last year there was "a significant reduction" - $1,051,178 in spending on textb000ks and classroom supplies," Raddin said, "cut from the budget. We hear all the time from our members that there is not enough money available to purchase and maintain the resources and supplies necessary for them to do their jobs. For many years now, we have not been provided sufficient mon- ies to purchase textbooks, novels for English classes or consumable supplies for courses that require them. At the same time, we are being encouraged to ration our photocopy- ing." She cited one school example where teachers are "abruptly cut off" from photocopying once they reach 500 copies "and are then forced to get permis- sion" to do more copying. Raddin also wants schools "staffed at 100 per cent" of their projected enrolment, and wants the board to use enrolment numbers provided by schools, "rather than the board's altered numbers." Raddin claims on top of a 8.8 per cent cut in staffing, an additional three per cent of staffing was held back last June. "Once a school timetable is com- pleted, it becomes very difficult to make changes, other than to split existing sections. It would be far better to put this staffing into the schools in the first place." Penny Huettlin of the Office Professionals and Technicians Bargaining Unit shared similar concerns. She said last year's cut of 8.9 full-time equivalent positions in school sup- port staff and at the administration centre continues to impact staff. "I can tell you that the stress school and adminis- tration centre staff are feeling is off the chart," Huettlin said. "I spend a lot of my time supporting members who do not feel that they can continue to keep their head above the water and it is impacting their health and family life. If Admin Council rec- ommends more cuts to OPT positions than you as trustees need to make sure that decisions are made to deal with the ongoing workload issue." Supporting the "inten- sive needs" that some Bluewater students have was high on the list of concerns shared by Paula Walpole, an educational assistant for 28 years, and the Educational Support Professionals Bargaining Unit president for the past 11 years. Walpole says the board's 274 educational assistants - as well as 79 early child- hood educators and over 250 temporary education specialists - "does not adequately support the intensive needs" of our students. "Declining enrolment is certainly not true when it comes to the special needs students who require intensive support," Walpole said, adding the number of intense needs students is up eight per cent "and the board anticipates a further influx of students with special needs once Nke Jess Gilchrist e Neil Froats SAT, APRIL 18, 2015.9PM Lucknow Arena 662 Campbell St Lucknow Tickets: 8.2for 15 Games • DJ • Late Lunch • 19+' pre -kindergarten clinics are finished and student needs identified." "We have had an increase of needs within our board where some students required two -to - one support in order for them to have a successful day. Some of the needs can be so intense that a student's day might be as short as one hour," she said. Rob Cummings, super- intendent of business and treasurer of the board, admits budgeting in a period of uncertainty "is a balancing act" - trying to provide quality education, with student learning as a focus, all while dealing with fiscal restraint, declining revenue and enrolment. "Excess space is costing us $5 million a year," he said, adding the board "must deal with" its 30 per cent of vacant space. Clos- ing two or three schools, Cummings said, would save the board $2 to $3 million annually - and would shed $11 million in capital renewal costs - money, he says, that could then be used for program- ming for students. Members of the public still wishing to provide feedback or make com- ment on the board's 2015- 16 budget may do so by e -mailing their comments to communications@ bwdsb.on.ca by Monday, April 6. It is expected a draft copy of the budget will be presented at the board's May 5th meeting and approval of the next school year's budget made at its June 16th meeting. Submitted Ripley -Huron Community School students Kate Leppington (left) and Madison Beishuizen win awards for Legion Public Speaking. Legion Public Speaking Ripley -Huron Community School Graham Martin Principal Congratulations to Rip- ley -Huron Community School students Kate Lep- pington and Madison Beishuizen for both finish- ing first place in the Ripley Legion competition and then again in Goder- ich! The next level of com- petition was in Mt. Forest where Kate finished 2nd in the Junior division and Madison 1st in the Senior division. Madison will compete again in Scarborough later this month. Well done Kate and Madison! a TRUCK & num REPfIP 519-529-3222 36936 Grens Hilir # Dura Qr'iri i, ON + Fast & Professional Service for Cars & Light Trucks • Tuneups, Exhausts & Other Repairs + Computer Diagnostics for all Makes & Models + Genuine After Market Automotive Parts