School District 43 is projecting a $12.1-million budget deficit next year and will have to make drastic cuts to submit a balanced budget to the province in May.
In a sometimes emotional board meeting Tuesday, members of CUPE and the Coquitlam Teachers' Association (CTA) demanded explanations as to how the district's finances came to be so dire.
One CTA executive member, Charlie King, asked the board to consider a forensic audit to determine exactly what went wrong with SD43 finances to prevent further problems from happening again.
CTA president Teresa Grandinetti said she was "flabbergasted" by what she heard after confirming that the district would have faced a $13-million deficit, not $7.2 million, for the 2012/2013 budget year had not $5 million in cuts been made starting in January. The current projection is for the district to be $8.1 million in the hole by the end of June.
Dave Ginter, president of the CUPE local representing SD43 support staff, blamed the district leadership team, and called for numerous non-teaching and support staff cuts, including cuts to management and arbitration costs.
In presenting the background to next year's projected budget deficit, superintendent Tom Grant said the district faced a "perfect storm" of financial issues, including enrollment declines, employee benefit increases and a probable deficit carry over from the current year.
Board chair Melissa Hyndes struggled to maintain her composure and said the board takes full responsibility and will "make things right" by presenting a balanced budget and getting to the bottom of the issues that caused the financial situation.
The Port Moody trustee said it was "heartbreaking" to not be able to live up to the district's mission and to have to make difficult cuts that may cost people's jobs.
Next week, the district leadership team will present its recommendations for the 2013/2014 at an open public meeting.
More to come.
