The Burnaby school district is considering cutting the equivalent of nearly 30 jobs to deal with a projected $6.4-million shortfall next year.
The bleak financial picture was unveiled at a public budget meeting at Burnaby Central Secondary Thursday.
Secretary-treasurer Greg Frank said the cuts – totalling more than $3.5 million – are being considered because increases in provincial funding next year aren’t sufficient to cover projected cost increases, like inflation and teachers moving up on the pay grid.
But Frank emphasized the district’s plan was still “very much a work in progress.”
“These are areas that are being investigated,” he said. “We’re trying to be transparent to identify areas that are being investigated.”
The proposed cuts include the equivalent of nearly 17 teaching jobs.
Despite the preliminary nature of the plan, that has the Burnaby Teachers’ Association nervous.
“That concerns me, full stop,” said president Rae Figursky, “because those are all direct services to kids."
Figursky didn’t address the board at the meeting, but the teachers’ union will bring its concerns to a private partner-group meeting with the district April 21, she said.
“We’ll also say, ‘These are the things that are over our dead body,’” she told the NOW. Hardest hit could be school libraries, which might see two elementary teaching positions and 0.6 FTE of secondary teaching time cut, as well as the loss of one high school library assistant.
Burnaby Teacher Librarians’ Association chair Jim Irwin urged the board to maintain teacher-librarian time.
“The work of teacher-librarians touches each student in each school because we work with all students and with classroom teachers as well,” he said.
Trustee Baljinder Narang was sympathetic, saying provincial underfunding has meant the board has had to make tough decisions.
“No matter how hard we try, it would not be completely up front if we said we weren’t affecting things; we are, but we’re trying to be as gentle as we can,” she said.
Most audience members who spoke laid the blame for the cuts on the provincial government.
Parent Peter Cech had some advice for residents who might be angry after looking over the proposed reductions.
“If they’re mad about these cuts, that anger should be directed at the provincial government, not at this district and its staff,” he said.
Former Burnaby First Coalition school board candidate Maria Parente, however, aimed her frustration at the board.
She blasted trustees for the proposed cuts to libraries and said the district would have more money if it weren’t losing students to homeschooling, private schools and other districts.
During the last election, BFC maintained 7,000 Burnaby children aged 5 to 18 were not enrolled in the district, representing millions of dollars in lost per-pupil provincial funding.
“What you didn’t like listening to in the last election was how do we keep our students in Burnaby,” Parente told trustees Thursday.
Trustee Larry Hayes jumped in, saying BFC’s numbers were “totally off.”
“You didn’t fool the public either,” he said, “and that’s called politicking, what you’re doing.”
When Parente said she might run for office again, Hayes said, “And you’ll finish exactly where you finished this time.”
The board will vote on the final preliminary 2015/16 budget at a public meeting April 28.
To see Thursday’s presentation, visit sd41.bc.ca.
By the numbers:
$6.4 million – the shortfall projected by the district for 2015/16 to maintain current services. District blames small increase in provincial funding compared to increased staffing costs, inflation and a decline in enrolment.
$4 million – surplus expected at the end of this year that will be applied to next year’s shortfall. Funds represent savings the district was allowed to keep from last year’s teacher strike.
$2.4 million – net shortfall projected for 2015/16.
$3.5 million – cuts being considered by the district to balance budget.
1 full-time equivalent (FTE) – cuts being considered to district administration.
16.7 FTE – cuts being considered to teaching positions.
12 FTE – cuts being considered to CUPE positions, including lab assistants, library assistants, noon-hour supervisors, clerical staff.
$1.2 million – savings the province wants School District No. 41 to find in its administrative budget under Bill 11.
