Trustees with Holy Trinity Catholic School Division have passed a balanced budget for the 2021-22 school year, with board members providing additional attention to student learning, technology, and human resources.
Revenues are projected to be $34.6 million and expenses are projected to be $26.2 million, leaving a surplus of roughly $8 million. However, capital expenditures for building-related projects — including the design phase of the joint-use school on South Hill — will be $8.4 million, which means the budget is expected to be balanced, barring unforeseen incidents.
Priorities, priorities
One board priority focuses on providing a Christ-centred learning environment that is safe, healthy and supportive, while also supporting the development of the provincial education plan and ensuring alignment between schools, the division, and the Ministry of Education, according to the budget document.
To enhance student success and improve the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom, this priority will focus on:
- Reading, writing and math
- Mental health and well-being of students and staff
- Enhancing literacy intervention and math literacy intervention supports
- Implementing Grade 8 religion texts and accompanying digital resources
- Supporting math resources and professional learning
- Supporting YMCA early learning centres
- Increasing counsellor time to address provincial mental health and wellness priorities
The second priority of human resources focuses on complying with collective bargaining agreements and employment contracts, including a two-per-cent compensation adjustment for all employee groups, the budget report said. The school division will also prepare to negotiate collective agreements that expire in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
The board has decided to keep the pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) at 22:1 for kindergarten to Grade 3, 26:1 for grades 4 to 6, and 27:1 for grades 7 to 8. Meanwhile, the HR department will continue to provide safety training to staff, such as violence threat risk assessment (VTRA), non-violent crisis intervention training, AED training, CPR and First Aid.
The third priority of technology will see continued support for several internal software programs, continued purchases of Chromebook laptops for Grade 9 students at Vanier Collegiate, amalgamating two tech help desks to improve customer service, and providing financial support for a multi-year technology plan.
Focusing on the classroom
“Division administration is pleased by the work of the entire group to prepare the budget. As always, we certainly would be excited to see if there were additional funds in a variety of areas,” said education director Sean Chase.
“But, to pass a budget that we felt keeps the integrity of the programming available in our classrooms is always the No. 1 priority of the board and administration, and we feel we’ve been able to do that.”
It’s always challenging to balance the budget, especially when the number of students projected to attend declines, he continued. However, division administration hopes to welcome back more students next year and see more students in desks.
One thing Holy Trinity learned during the pandemic is that while it is well-positioned with computer hardware and technology training, it needs to work long-term to equip classrooms with better technology, Chase added. That will help the division position itself for future success.
Balancing the budget
It’s positive that the division office created a balanced budget, which has been years in the making, said Chase. While the ministry provides yearly grant funding, Holy Trinity has had to adjust its operations regularly “to be as lean as possible” in various areas and bring forward budgets despite constant challenges.
Before crafting the budget, division administration spent time conducting a “budget variance analysis” that reviewed spending during the past five to seven years. It then based the 2021-22 budget on that analysis while ensuring the division can successfully meet future challenges.
Holy Trinity is in a “solid position” to succeed if projections hold up, but there will always be a need for more money since educational costs continue to grow, Chase added. While the division signed long-term deals with its employee groups, the ministry did not provide extra funding to cover those costs, which must be addressed through operations.
The next Holy Trinity board meeting is on Aug. 16.
