Trustees with the Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) have directed its administration to prepare a 2024-25 budget even with a $6.4 million deficit.
After two hours of passionate discussion by delegates and board members, public board trustees voted in favour of the first of three options presented to them by administration, which is to file the 2024-25 budget with an in-year deficit of $6,419,834.
The second option, which was recommended by administration, was to file the budget with an in-year deficit of $4,492,569, representing one per cent of the board’s operating allocation. The third option would have been to file a fully balanced budget, requiring a reduction of $6,419,834 in expenses.
Delegates largely were focused on special education and programs, passionately imploring they stay intact. Jessica Andersch pointed out she has a seven-year-old son with a learning disability. He was enrolled in the public board when he was in Grade 1. She recalled him returning home from school and telling her he had no one to play with, adding the RISE program at his school allowed him to learn, develop friendships and gain confidence.
Andersch said students with special needs face additional challenges and said more funding is required to aid those students.
“Our school board and government need to do more to help these kids,” she said.
Jessica Irwin, an attendance counsellor and social worker, noted her department would have faced layoffs for the third time in five years if either the second or third option been approved.
Shelley Deane, president of the local Professional Student Services Personnel union and a speech and language pathologist, told the board the latter two options would have had “catastrophic effects” on students.
“Community-based services are not plentiful,” she said.
Board chair Gale Simko-Hatfield, who waived the rules to allow delegates at a special board meeting last Wednesday night, said the GECDSB has a “long history” of trying to support students with learning disabilities.
“I can’t say we’ve been successful in the role as advocates in terms of funding for this service,” she added.
Trustee Kim McKinley said the board has never made frivolous hires and their efforts in accumulating a surplus in previous years was evidence they are good with money.
“Not for a split second do I believe that our current budget deficit is a result of our choices,” she said.
Costs have escalated and funding hasn’t kept up, she believed.
Trustee Julia Burgess said the first option was “as far as I want to go” while trustee Sarah Cipkar added the board heard the delegates clearly. Cipkar said the board would be “shooting themselves in the foot” if funding and staff for vulnerable students were cut.
“A lot of board across the province are facing difficult situations right now because of the new funding model,” she said.
Should the province want to look at the board’s operations, Cipkar added “I’m OK to have this conversation with the ministry if and when the time comes.”
Trustee Cathy Cooke added she knows how much programs like RISE are needed as well as social services and speech pathologists.
“There are no service providers people can just walk into and get,” she added. “These are our most vulnerable children and they all need our help.”
Trustee Ron LeClair claimed “this budget crisis was manufactured by a provincial government that has intentionally starved public education as a strategy to undermine public education.” LeClair, a former provincial NDP candidate and the Amherstburg/LaSalle public trustee, said he was only playing devil’s advocate but “if the government decides to come down and take over, it’s not going to be pretty. I’m very concerned about losing local control of the direction we’re going.”
Trustee Connie Buckler kept it short and to the point.
“There’s no way I’m touching special education,” said Buckler. “No way.”
The public board further deliberated their 2024-25 budget after this issue of the RTT went to press.
Public school board to carry budget with $6.4 million deficit
By Ron Giofu
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