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By Darlene Casten
Reporter
The school year is just past the halfway point and administration at the FSD is already busy doing the math on a deficit budget.
Trustees heard last week that a $500,000 to $700,000 shortfall is anticipated, mainly in the budgets allocated for teachers’ and substitute teachers’ salaries. The projected deficit is approximately one per cent of the division’s total budget.
The FSD has already spent close to 90 per cent of the money allocated for substitute teachers, with more than $550,000 paid out to on-call teachers by the end of February.
Superintendent Jim McLellan said the budget for substitute teachers is always over budget and was overspent last year by 25 per cent.
This year, more sick days and maternity leaves amongst teachers have been a factor.
McLellan said administrators are aware of the ongoing shortfall, but don’t want to start cutting teaching staff to eliminate the deficit.
“It would take 15 teachers’ salaries to meet the substitute teachers’ budget,” McLellan said.
Laying off teachers is not an option the school division is considering.
“We are going to be conservative and keep the people we want to keep,” McLellan said.
The school division is no stranger to deficits and was able to balance a similar deficit during the 2006/07 school year.
In the past, money money has been shifted from other areas to cover the shortfall, McLellan said.
However, raises and signing bonuses that were part of the teachers’ contract settlement in January could put that portion of the budget into the red as well.
Division secretary-treasurer Drew Chipman said $300,000 received from the province in January has been set aside to help cover a potential deficit.
The province does not allow school divisions to submit a deficit budget at year-end.
Trustee Jerry Muelaner expects more money for school boards when the provincial budget is announced.
“I think everyone is expecting a top up,” Muelaner said.
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