Despite facing a near $5 million shortfall, the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board was able to present a balanced budget that includes a $22,597 surplus on Monday.
Every two school years, a balanced budget is required after two years of deficit budgets, which HPEDB had, to avoid depleting financial reserves.
Speaking on the Lorne Brooker Show, Director of Education and CEO of the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board Katherine MacIver says those cuts don’t come without a cost.
“Some of the extras that we’ve enjoyed, some of the extra staffing that we’ve placed in schools to support teachers and students and staff. Those things have been removed, so I think it’ll be felt across the system,” MacIver tells the Lorne Brooker Show.
Slashes made to balance the budget include no excess funding, which would bring in extra staffing, and aligning expenses to funding, among other strategies implemented by the board.
Some of the slashes will relate to transportation. MacIver tells the Lorne Brooke Show that the board is looking at ways to make sure there isn’t a significant impact.
“So we could reduce routes, we could change walking distance, we could do all these things,” MacIver said.
“What we heard loud and clear, from families in the spring, was that they’re really concerned about their dependency on using the transportation system to get their students to school. So we’re looking at some alternatives.”
The proposed budget is up for approval to the Board of Trustees at the Public Board meeting on June 19.
The full interview can be heard here.
