The Vancouver school board submitted a draft budget to Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid today, June 17, which is not significantly different from the proposed budget released in April.

The latest draft, unveiled at a press conference Thursday afternoon, reflects cuts blamed on a $17.23 million shortfall. It includes considerable staff and program reductions.

MacDiarmid demanded, through a ministerial directive order, to see a draft balanced budget by June 18 that took “full consideration” of recommendations in Comptroller General Cheryl Wenezenki-Yolland’s recent report on the district’s financial performance.

The minister also insisted in the directive that the budget was drafted “with the best interests of students, student achievement and parents as the paramount considerations.”

Trustees are expected to vote on the budget—the details of which could still change—June 23. On that date it will also release of list of fewer than 10 schools being considered for closure–all are elementary schools. (VSB policy means closures couldn’t happen until June of the next school year, although the board asked the education minister if she expects the board to close any schools by September. The minister has not responded to that question.)

Wenezenki-Yolland concluded in her report that the district’s poor financial position could have been avoided had the board managed its resources properly. She submitted recommendations for both the VSB and the Ministry of Education.

The report also suggested the board’s actual shortfall is $11.79 million. Trustees dispute that figure, arguing senior management arrived at the $17.23 million figure through accepted accounting principles followed by districts around the province.

The concern is the board could be fired if it doesn’t use the comptroller general’s shortfall figure even though senior staff and trustees insist it would put the district in financial distress.

On June 15, the board sent a letter to MacDiarmid indicating it would be using the $17.23 figure and that it would appreciate being advised if the minister believes the budget should be based on a different figure.

MacDiarmid responded June 16 without specifying a number. “The ministerial directive clearly outlines that the board prepare a balanced budget in accordance with the comptroller general’s report and the best interests of students and student achievement,” she wrote.

At the VSB June 17th press conference, board chair Patti Bacchus released a letter to MacDiarmid that’s being enclosed with the district’s draft budget. It says trustees would “of course” prefer to work with the $11.8 million shortfall figure and they would revise the budget using that number if the dispute can be resolved between the VSB’s professional staff, the comptroller general and ministry staff in coming weeks. Bacchus also indicated she planned to contact the auditor general of B.C. and request he intervene and attempt to resolve that question.

Bacchus’ letter to MacDiarmid, meanwhile, calls the directive contradictory as cuts recommended by Wenezenki-Yolland and district management “will not be in the best interests of students, their achievement and parents.”

But if it adopts the budget on June 23, Bacchus said the board will have met its legislative obligations by passing a balanced budget, as well as met MacDiarmid’s directive.

“I personally implore you, as minister, to review this draft budget and do everything in your power to convince your government that more funds be allocated so that we can reduce at least some of the significant cuts that our lack of provincial funding necessitates,” Bacchus wrote.

“This is not a budget that the Vancouver Board of Education wants to be forced to pass—but we will be obliged to do so unless your government provides sufficient funds to avoid these negative consequences.”

Vision’s Sharon Gregson and Mike Lombardi, COPE’s Jane Bouey and Al Blakey and the NPA’s Ken Denike attended the press conference, as did superintendent Steve Cardwell.

Also on hand were former trustee Eleanor Gregson and Coun. Andrea Reimer, a former Green Party trustee.

Bacchus stressed to reporters that the document is a draft budget from the district management team and that it had not yet been adopted by trustees.

Although the comptroller general recommended raising rental rates for non-profit groups offering child care, such as before and after school programs in schools, to generate $1.5 million in revenue. The district will consider rental rates at a committee meeting June 29. If the comptroller general’s recommendations were adopted, some non-profits would face up to a 700 per cent increase in rental rates, which would have to be passed on to parents, or potentially force the organizations to shut their programs down. Trustees are considering only increases that would recover costs.

noconnor@vancourier.com