SD23: A good news budget

Photo: Wayne Moore - File Photo

School District 23 Supt. Kevin Kaardal

School District 23 Supt. Kevin Kaardal describes the budget he will present to the full Board of Education Wednesday night as a "good news budget."

The 2018-2019 budget will come in at $256.1 million, $5.2 million more than the current year.

"It's a good news budget. We're not in a position where we have to layoff staff or reduce staff. We're not reducing services. Those are very positive things," said Kaardal.

"We're having to use surplus to meet our budget on one-time purchases, in particular the capital costs. That's always worrisome...if we have those cost going forward, we would love to see the quantum of the budget change from government, but that's not in the cards right now."

Kaardal says much of the increase is due to growth, partly brought on by the Memorandum of Understanding dealing with class size and composition.

He says the district is growing in some areas, and not others, resulting in capital costs around portables.

"Our cost pressures are around $1.5 million. If you put in requests people have, it jumps to $2.3 million, but we're not approving all the requests.

"The actual cost pressures are less than one per cent of our budget. We are able to manage that through surplus because it's a one-time cost in regard to the capital cost of growth, that's portables. Part of that need for portables is also because we have smaller class sizes due to the MOA, so we need more space."

Teachers salaries, at $106.1 million, accounts for 41 per cent of the overall budget. Employee benefits, at $41.9 million, makes up more than 16 per cent.