A school operating budget short on good news is set to pass tonight, at a regularly scheduled board meeting set for 7 p.m.
Casting a pall over the proceedings is the requirement for School District 43 to pay $25 million toward a new joint middle school and high school for Coquitlam, prompting some to question whether the $150 million cost is too high.
"We agree that a school is needed, but with cost projections now at $150 million, we wonder if the proposed design hasn't surpassed common sense," Marvin Klassen, president of the District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) told the Tri-City News in advance of the budget meeting.
Originally pegged at $125 million, the costs have risen in recent months due escalating material costs, labour and supply chain issues.
Board chair Michael Thomas said the requirement that the district contribute $25 million toward construction of the new building is "unreasonable," but he said the proposed operational budget is hampered by a number of "constraints."
Unlike cities that can raise taxes, school districts are funded for enrolment by the provincial government.
And with fewer students predicted for September, including a relatively small contingent of international students who pay fees, the projected revenue is flat while inflationary and salary costs rise.
Still, School District 43 trustees are set to pass a $324.7-million budget with cuts to full-time teaching positions, a reduction in supply budgets and a smaller number of custodians.
As many as 24.4 FTE (full-time equivalent) teaching positions are on the chopping block in this upcoming budget.
The one bright spot, though, is a proposal to hire seven additional educational assistants to support students with diverse learning needs.
Larger classes a concern
"Our focus this budget has been to maintain stability in our staffing levels as much as possible, and to add some additional EA support for our most vulnerable students," Thomas, a Port Coquitlam trustee, told the Tri-City News, before tonight's board meeting.
Passing the budget now is urgent because of the lengthy layoff and recall process that tends to occur in spring, as the district plans for fall classes.
But officials are predicting that the number of retirees will balance the cuts to teaching staff, resulting in fewer layoffs.
As well, Thomas said international student enrolment may make a slight come back due to the relaxation of pandemic restrictions, resulting in more fee-paying students filling seats.
"It is too early to say for sure if a layoff/recall process will be necessary as the number of teacher retirements this year is above average. Our HR [human resources] team, in conjunction with the Coquitlam Teachers Association (CTA), will be working hard to minimize the impact to our teachers and schools," Thomas said.
For teachers, the onerous layoff and recall process, if required, will be hard on teachers' morale, especially at a time when they've been dealing with the grinding routine of pandemic restrictions.
"From a teacher’s point of view, the net result of this budget is no improvements to help for students," CTA president Ken Christensen said.
"Thus, teachers will be working harder just to maintain existing services. So, next year we will continue to see large class sizes, inadequate support for special needs students and teachers struggling to support their kids."
Keeping schools clean
Although he questioned the high cost for the new school, DPAC's Klassen said the operating budget was "prudent" given ongoing pandemic restrictions and revenue shortfalls.
He said he was optimistic that the budget may not end up being as gloomy as predicted if student enrolment is "higher than expected" and, while he's pleased at the hiring of more education assistants, he suggested that cuts to custodial staff may hamper efforts to keep schools clean.
"We firmly believe that onsite daytime cleaning staff helps reduce the spread of health issues which increase costs and reduce learning time," Klassen stated in an email to the Tri-City News.
"However, we are pleased to see that the district will proceed with the commitment to hire additional education assistants, and we are optimistic that student enrolment will be higher than current projections, which will help to maintain current grant funding."
