The Vancouver School Board will be trying out a whole new way of budgeting when it announces its fiscal plan on Wednesday night.
In times past, the district has begun by declaring a shortfall — a difference between what it will cost to run the district as is and what the government will pay. At the same time, the district has proposed cuts to services to balance the budget.
This year, instead, the VSB will present a balanced budget right off the bat — but it’s not balanced because there is extra, new funding. It’s balanced by using an accumulated surplus from previous years.
“It is meant to shift the focus from ‘budget cuts’ to ‘budget considerations,’ an introductory report posted on the VSB’s website says. “Starting with a balanced budget position will necessitate discussion of what to remove from the budget if we want to add something.”
Along with the balanced budget will be proposals for things that could be added and other proposals for things that could be taken away.
It remains to be seen how much of a difference this new approach will make — that will depend on how much accumulated surplus money is needed to keep the district in the black.
Two years ago, school trustees refused to pass a budget calling for $21.8 million in cuts. For that, they were fired in October 2016 and replaced by an official trustee appointed by the then-Liberal provincial government.
Last year, the board was able to reduce its shortfall from a projected $14.9 million to just $2.13 million by shuffling existing teaching positions into the fund established to pay for new teaching positions created as a result of the 2016 court victory.
Earlier this year, the VSB projected a deficit of $3.76 million for the 2018-19 school year, which would grow to a deficit of $10.31 million by 2021. No major funding increases have been announced since then, so it seems inevitable that some cuts may still be needed.
You might well ask how a district that has been in such fiscal dire straits has been able to accumulate a surplus. That’s because school districts tend to budget very conservatively to avoid any chance of a deficit at year’s end. School districts are not allowed to end a year in deficit, and when you’re dealing with a $500-million budget, a small year-end profit or loss can easily happen.
A recent report on education funding found that across the province, there was $300 million in accumulated surpluses last year. That’s a lot of cash, but not huge in relation to the province’s $6.4-billion education budget. Some of those funds would be committed to special projects, and make no mistake, even if not committed, that money has always gone to education — it’s just that there is a bit of a cash-flow lag.
Certainly, that money should be used up, but balancing the budget using previous years’ surpluses is not sustainable.
VSB officials have asked various groups in the district — teachers, support staff, principals — about their priorities.
Students, via the Vancouver District Student Council, said they’re concerned about the lack of repairs in schools, the lack of counselling time and poor quality textbooks, which they said contain outdated information. Students said there is sometimes no soap or paper towels in school bathrooms and some bathroom stalls don’t have locks.
Support staff said the top issue is the staffing shortage, including many education assistants who are absent, but who are not replaced.
The teachers’ associations are both worried about the restored contract and how it is being implemented. They don’t want to see non-enrolling teachers, such as librarians, resource teachers or English as a Second Language teachers, cut. They’re concerned about students with special needs, class size and cuts to adult education.
The principals’ and vice-principals’ associations had two main points — the need for support to implement the new curriculum and support to schools undergoing seismic upgrades.
It will be interesting to watch and see if any of these concerns get addressed in the actual budget. I note that none of the groups is calling for anything to be taken away from the budget, so it’s unlikely anything will be added.
If there is one thing the Vancouver School Board needs, it’s a bit of healing. It remains to be seen if this new approach will help or hinder that process.
Public consultation on the budget will start April 24, 5 p.m. at the VSB office.
Tracy Sherlock writes about education and social issues. She can be reached at [email protected].
