Catholic board approves budget

The Christ the Teacher Catholic Schools board approved the division's 2013/2014 budget at its regular meeting June 10.

Highlights of the $18.8 million balanced budget included $199,000 in special projects.

Foremost among these is the Investment in Teachers for Student Achievement Initiative. The project is a five-year plan to provide professional learning opportunities to teachers in support of the government's Vision 2020 goal of the province leading the country in high school graduation rates and reducing the disparity in grad rates between indigenous and non-indigenous populations.

"Teachers matter," wrote Shannon Hahn, superintendent of instruction and learning in a report to the board. "In fact, research indicates that although many factors contribute to a student's academic performance, including individual characteristics and family and neighbourhood experiences, effective instruction is proven to have the most impact on student learning."

In 2013/2014, the first year of the initiative CTTCS will spend $88,000. At the end of the 2018 school year, the total cost planned is $204,000.

The second project will see the division complete its Smartboard program with the purchase of 10 of the interactive whiteboards.

Darrell Zaba, director of education said having that technology in all the classrooms also aligns with the Vision 2020 goals.

"It's a great opportunity to bring additional media, such as video, into the classroom and improve learning outcomes," he said.

In addition to the allocation of $40,000 for the Smartboards, the division will also spend $17,000 to replace principal's and vice-principal's five-year-old laptops.

Lastly, the board approved $53,765 to upgrade the division's accounting software. The accounting system has not been upgraded, except for minor updates, since its initial implementation in 2005.

The three projects created a deficit for the year, but Wilfred Hotsko, secretary-treasurer, in presenting the budget requested the shortfall be offset by transferring funds from internally-restricted reserves thus balancing the budget.