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The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is being described as in good shape for the coming financial year, with a predicted budget surplus of $4.3 million.
If things go as projected, the board would be left with an accumulated cushion of $24 million for a rainy day — and that means no cutting and chopping. The board has a budget that is nudging $1 billion.
“If you know you have money in the bank, you don’t have to take any drastic action,” said the board’s chief financial officer, Mike Carson, whose forecast is to be presented to the school board’s budget committee Tuesday and its audit committee Wednesday.
“When you’re in growth mode, it gives you more options,” he said. “We think we’re in good shape for the coming year.”
In 2017-18, enrollment jumped by 1,217 students. More students have necessitated more teachers. The board hired the equivalent of about 68 teachers this year, and has plans to hire more for the next school year.
“We’ll be adding more staff,” said Carson. “I’m not aware of any place we’re cutting anything.”
He attributes most of the enrollment increase to immigration, especially Syrian refugees. The increased enrollment bumped up the board’s provincial per-pupil grant funding by $6.4 million, with an additional $1.1. million in special-education grants and another $1.1 million in school-operations grants, as well as $3.1 million for students whose first language is not English and who have arrived in Canada since 2013.
There was also a surge of enrollment at schools in new developments, including Vimy Ridge Public School in Findlay Creek, Kanata Highlands Public School and Half Moon Bay Public School in Jockvale.
Meanwhile, more international students came to Ottawa to study at the high-school level — and they’re paying to study here, which has added more money to the coffers. Board staff predict that Ottawa will remain a destination for immigrants and that there will be another enrollment increase in the coming year, although not as significant as this year.
“The province did not announce any reduction in grants. We’re in a strong financial position,” Carson said.
The budget for the 2018-19 academic year will likely be passed in June. The forecast does not include capital projects, such as new schools.
There are a few potential trouble spots on the horizon: Collective agreements for both elementary and secondary teachers expire in August 2019; and there is concern about the expiry of “local priorities funding” from the province, which allowed the board to lower the number of staff reductions in previous years. As a result, 87 positions have been saved or added. However, the funding expires in August 2019 and there is no guarantee it will continue.
Here is a snapshot of board finances this school year.
$947.6M: How much the school board expects to spend in the 2017-18 school year
$951.9M: Revenues in 2017-18.
$4.3M: Planned surplus for 2017-18
$24M: Total accumulated surplus projected by the end of August. The Education Act allows school boards to use an accumulated surplus to balance their operating budgets, but also restricts its use to one per cent of the provincial operating grants in any school year
80%: The approximate proportion of the board’s budget that goes to pay salaries. About two-thirds of this goes to pay teaching staff
1,032: Increased enrollment in elementary schools in 2017-18
185: Increased enrollment in secondary schools
$10.5M: Revenue earned through international students who study in the board’s secondary schools. The program attracts students who want to learn English, experience the Canadian school system or prepare to enter a Canadian university
817: International students registered at the Ottawa board this year — about 120 more than the board anticipated. China and South Korea are the top source of international students at the Ottawa board
$2.4M: Estimated cost to support benefits for work-related chronic tress under legislated amendments to Workers Safety Insurance Board programs. The legislation came into effect on Jan. 1 and is retroactive to April 2014
$370,000: Additional funding for special education this year, including $300,000 for education assistants and $70,000 for social work and psychology
$500,000: Amount spent over budget for transportation costs. Much of the cost was due to increased enrollment and complex transportation needs. About $442,000 of the additional cost was funded by the province. The total transportation budget is $40.6 million
$2.8M: Reduction in costs to the school board due to the creation of a provincial trust that manages benefits for teachers and other unionized education workers
$17.8M: Cost of supply teaching in 2017-18. This was $1.4 million over budget. (The average number of sick days taken by employees has increased by 38 per cent over the past four years, from 7.85 days in 2012-13 to 10.87 days last school year.)
$503,000: Additional costs to the board as the result of increased minimum wages. Examples of minimum-wage workers include casual custodial staff and workers hired to assist with school moves
jlaucius@postmedia.com
查看原文...
If things go as projected, the board would be left with an accumulated cushion of $24 million for a rainy day — and that means no cutting and chopping. The board has a budget that is nudging $1 billion.
“If you know you have money in the bank, you don’t have to take any drastic action,” said the board’s chief financial officer, Mike Carson, whose forecast is to be presented to the school board’s budget committee Tuesday and its audit committee Wednesday.
“When you’re in growth mode, it gives you more options,” he said. “We think we’re in good shape for the coming year.”
In 2017-18, enrollment jumped by 1,217 students. More students have necessitated more teachers. The board hired the equivalent of about 68 teachers this year, and has plans to hire more for the next school year.
“We’ll be adding more staff,” said Carson. “I’m not aware of any place we’re cutting anything.”
He attributes most of the enrollment increase to immigration, especially Syrian refugees. The increased enrollment bumped up the board’s provincial per-pupil grant funding by $6.4 million, with an additional $1.1. million in special-education grants and another $1.1 million in school-operations grants, as well as $3.1 million for students whose first language is not English and who have arrived in Canada since 2013.
There was also a surge of enrollment at schools in new developments, including Vimy Ridge Public School in Findlay Creek, Kanata Highlands Public School and Half Moon Bay Public School in Jockvale.
Meanwhile, more international students came to Ottawa to study at the high-school level — and they’re paying to study here, which has added more money to the coffers. Board staff predict that Ottawa will remain a destination for immigrants and that there will be another enrollment increase in the coming year, although not as significant as this year.
“The province did not announce any reduction in grants. We’re in a strong financial position,” Carson said.
The budget for the 2018-19 academic year will likely be passed in June. The forecast does not include capital projects, such as new schools.
There are a few potential trouble spots on the horizon: Collective agreements for both elementary and secondary teachers expire in August 2019; and there is concern about the expiry of “local priorities funding” from the province, which allowed the board to lower the number of staff reductions in previous years. As a result, 87 positions have been saved or added. However, the funding expires in August 2019 and there is no guarantee it will continue.
Here is a snapshot of board finances this school year.
$947.6M: How much the school board expects to spend in the 2017-18 school year
$951.9M: Revenues in 2017-18.
$4.3M: Planned surplus for 2017-18
$24M: Total accumulated surplus projected by the end of August. The Education Act allows school boards to use an accumulated surplus to balance their operating budgets, but also restricts its use to one per cent of the provincial operating grants in any school year
80%: The approximate proportion of the board’s budget that goes to pay salaries. About two-thirds of this goes to pay teaching staff
1,032: Increased enrollment in elementary schools in 2017-18
185: Increased enrollment in secondary schools
$10.5M: Revenue earned through international students who study in the board’s secondary schools. The program attracts students who want to learn English, experience the Canadian school system or prepare to enter a Canadian university
817: International students registered at the Ottawa board this year — about 120 more than the board anticipated. China and South Korea are the top source of international students at the Ottawa board
$2.4M: Estimated cost to support benefits for work-related chronic tress under legislated amendments to Workers Safety Insurance Board programs. The legislation came into effect on Jan. 1 and is retroactive to April 2014
$370,000: Additional funding for special education this year, including $300,000 for education assistants and $70,000 for social work and psychology
$500,000: Amount spent over budget for transportation costs. Much of the cost was due to increased enrollment and complex transportation needs. About $442,000 of the additional cost was funded by the province. The total transportation budget is $40.6 million
$2.8M: Reduction in costs to the school board due to the creation of a provincial trust that manages benefits for teachers and other unionized education workers
$17.8M: Cost of supply teaching in 2017-18. This was $1.4 million over budget. (The average number of sick days taken by employees has increased by 38 per cent over the past four years, from 7.85 days in 2012-13 to 10.87 days last school year.)
$503,000: Additional costs to the board as the result of increased minimum wages. Examples of minimum-wage workers include casual custodial staff and workers hired to assist with school moves
jlaucius@postmedia.com
查看原文...
