School District 57 trustees were presented with an amended annual budget at Tuesday night's meeting, one that saw an additional $4-million that may need to be taken from the district's surplus.
But, staff cautioned trustees not to view the revised document as a drastic increase, as unlike the previous budget it includes planned spending by schools that have their own money to apply to costs. That means it's likely it won't have to be pulled from the district surplus.
"It is a little overwhelming," said chairperson Tony Cable of the budget discussion.
Cable noted the approved budget from May 2014 had allocated just over $3 million to be taken from the district's surplus budget, but the current amount is more than $7-million.
"What's really troublesome to me is I'm sort of gazing into the future and I want to make sure any amended budget we pass is sustainable."
Trustees heard from staff that they believed it was, but the main concern rests in an amount around $1-million that was required as a measure to balance the budget in May.
Vice-chair Brenda Hooker, who also acts as chair of the management and finance committee, presented the changes at the board's first official meeting. Much of the 80-page agenda was devoted to the revised expenditures and revenues.
Tim Bennett said "my stomach sank" when he first saw the increase, but thanked the staff and Hooker for their explanation of what first appeared to be a drastic problem.
Sharel Warrington pointed out a significant jump in staff salaries and benefits, noting "the devil is in the details."
Trish Bella said her concern was the lack of funding coming into public education.
"We've got to get vocal about funding public education."
"I thank our schools for being frugal with their budgets, but this is very frustrating to me," Bella said. "It should bother all of us as trustees."
Board challenged by groups
The meeting kicked off with the board being welcomed by its member groups, many of whom also issued a challenge to follow commitments made during the election.
Sarah Holland, with the Prince George District Parent Advisory Council challenged trustees to do more than make their contact information available.
"That isn't transparency. That's accessibility," said Holland, adding it means active public openness about what actions the board takes, what decisions are made and how.
Don Sabo, who ran for one of the trustee spots, asked the board to commit to better geographical representation.
"These smaller communities have unique issues and problems," Sabo said of the rural areas, adding they need a direct voice on the board.
Students make presentations
The early part of the meeting was packed with student presentations, including the student advisory council on reducing student stress, followed by Kelly Road secondary and Glenview elementary students on tackling bullying.
Aleah Polson, Kiana Blakely, Annabelle Woolfrey came wearing bright yellow shirts with the words 'youth delegate' emblazoned on the back. The three Glenview students recently presented at the Erase Bullying event at the Civic Centre.
"I felt welcomed like i didn't need to pretend to be anyone else. I felt like when I was there it was easy for me to be there and not have to change anything," Polson said.
"On that day I learned that you should always respect people's differences," added Blakely.
Positions detailed
Trustee positions on each of the standing committees was announced Tuesday night:
Education Programs and Planning Committee:
Trish Bella as chair, Bob Harris and Brenda Hooker.
Education Services Committee:
Sharel Warrington as chair, Trish Bella, and Tim Bennett.
Management and Finance Committee:
Brenda Hooker as chair, Sharel Warrington, and Bruce Wiebe.
Policy and Governance Committee:
Tim Bennett as chair, Bob Harris and Bruce Wiebe.
