Trustees with the Prairie South School Division (PSSD) have approved the 2020-21 budget, which also includes the reduction of janitorial staff positions and the number of hours some of them work.
Division administration projects that revenues for this year will be $87.1 million and expenses will be $89 million, leaving a deficit of $1.88 million that will likely be covered by reserve funds and other assets. Also, the division plans to spend $4.37 million on capital purchases.
In comparison, for the 2019-20 school year, PSSD trustees approved a budget with $84.8 million in revenues, $87.9 million in expenses, a deficit of $3.1 million and $2.6 million in capital expenses.
The board of education provides strategic direction during the budget development process; trustees reviewed the proposed budget for 2020-21 during planning sessions on April 28 and May 26, according to a board report. The board then approved the operational budget on June 2, as the Ministry of Education required trustees to submit the budget for approval before June 30.
However, after submitting the document, the ministry identified an additional $1.925 million in capital grant funding for the new joint-use school project and requested that PSSD adjust its budget to reflect the funds, the report continued. The ministry then allowed the board to submit an updated budget.
During the most recent board meeting, trustees voted 7-3 to accept the 2020-21 budget. Trustees Jan Radwanski, Brian Swanson and Tim McLeod were opposed.
The elimination of custodial positions and working hours for some janitorial employees concerned Radwanski, especially since society is in the midst of the pandemic, he said. He pointed out the division office had eliminated 2.5 full-time equivalent positions, while a total of 21.5 working hours had been removed.
In a news release issued in mid-August, board chair Robert Bachmann explained there has been a lessening of hours paid, but this does not equal a reduction of the same amount of cleaning time. Before, some building operators worked a partial shift at one school and then moved to another school to complete their shift. The staff were paid for this transition time, but the time to put away equipment, travel to a new location, and prepare to start cleaning again did not contribute to the actual cleaning.
This means, he added, that the time dedicated to cleaning would only be reduced slightly and not significantly. It also meant that PSSD would have fewer staff members who travel between buildings, in a year when the division will attempt to limit the movement of people from one school to another.
The next PSSD board meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 6.
