Facing more than $240,000 in budget cuts, the Board of Education for School District 59 (SD 59), Peace River South, says it was spared the worst as a result of a slew of retirements among its administrative staff.
The provincial government ordered school boards across the province to make $54 million in administrative cuts when the 2015 budget was tabled in February.
As a result, employees in SD 59's Human Resources and Career Education departments won’t be replaced when they leave in the next few months.
"It's something that we're not real happy about," SD 59 Board of Education Chair Richard Powell told the Alaska Highway News.
"We're just fortunate enough this time because of retirements, it is not something that we're jumping up and down about," Powell added. "I understand the government's position on trying to do some things, but I am concerned that they are taking the money out of education."
Powell said that while they were saved this year by retirements, the cuts are of particular concern for the 2016-17 school year.
"I think we'll be okay," Superintendent Leslie Lambie said. "I don't think we are going to have to look for many more [cuts] this year, but we do have to start actively looking [next year]."
While the majority of the cuts will be made through attrition, the remainder has yet to be determined. However, the amount is so small that it isn't causing any issues for the board as it proceeds with the budget process.
SD 59's budget is scheduled to be approved in June.
"The amount that is left over, it is not so large of a figure that I'm really concerned about it," SD 59 Secretary Treasurer Melissa Panoulias said. "Even if we were to get a higher interest rate on our investments, that would count as administrative savings. There is a wide variety of options available to us."
The school board will be examining all options for the remaining cuts. But twice-a-year school board meetings in Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge are currently not on the chopping block, Panoulias said.
"We are open to anything as long as it doesn’t touch the classroom. We can do anything, and that travel is not going to affect the classroom, but the cost of a board meeting to travel to Tumbler Ridge and Chetwynd once a year, that is minimal."
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