It was mostly about the numbers for the trustees of the South East Cornerstone Public School Division on June 18, when they met for their general business session in the division’s head office in Weyburn.
The proposed financial budget for 2015-16 was brought to the table by Shelley Toth, the division’s chief financial officer and superintendent of services. She said the budget won’t become an official document until it receives ministerial approval in September.
She asked the trustees to note sections where perceived surpluses in past financial statements and budgets are leading to figures being posted on the deficit side. This, she explained, is an accounting practice to show the in and outward flow of money from the province that was used and is being used for major capital projects, including the Weyburn Comprehensive School’s rebuilding project.
Salaries and benefits absorb 71 per cent of the $106.5 million budget for the division that consists of 8,200 students in 38 schools plus several more facilities. Operating revenue will amount to nearly $102 million, she said, while capital revenue will be $4.6 million.
Total operating expenditures will come in at $107.3 million with budgeted staffing to include about 560 full-time equivalent teaching positions, a decrease of nearly nine teachers from the previous year and about 531 non-teaching full-time equivalent positions, a decrease of 15.17 positions compared with the previous year. Salaries and benefits will take up $76.1 million while debt services will require $734,000 and goods and services will be at $22.5 million.
The major facility project, namely, the WCS rebuild, is partially funded by the Ministry of Education and the estimated capital grant for 2015-16, will be $3.1 million which should be the final payment of a four-year financial commitment to the project. Another $1.5 million including almost $800,000 for another section of roof rebuilding at the Estevan Comprehensive School, is also included under the capital funding requirements for maintenance and renewal.
Ministry of Education grants will come in at about $39.4 million, said Toth, while another $56.8 million will come via property taxes collected by the provincial government. Tuition and other fess will bring in a further $1.2 million and school-generated funds should amount to $2.7 million. Sales and rentals, including cafeteria catering, will be about $658,000 and other grants picked up during the course of the year, will bring in about $634,000, she said.
The budget is based on the division’s four-year priority plan, which aligns with the province’s strategic plan, for education.
On the expenditure side, Toth said total capital costs will come to just under $10 million in the coming year with the Weyburn Comp remodelling costs amounting to about half that amount. There will also be partial roof replacements at schools in Maryfield and Moosomin, as well as ECS in the coming year.
The divisions is also budgeting for the purchase of 10 new school buses to replace aging vehicles in the fleet, at a cost of $950,000.
Replacing computer hardware, audio and video equipment will take up another $2.2 million, said Toth and division furniture and equipment purchases will require another $190,000. The division will also make another $45,000 contribution to the new track at ECS, the second installment in a multi-year commitment. The two comprehensive schools will also receive new physical education equipment at a cost of $136,000.
The $106.5 million budget compares with the $113 million budget of 2014-15. The decrease in revenues in 2014-15. The decrease in revenues is expected, while expenditures are slated to go up to $107.3 million, compared with $104 million in planned spending in 2014-15. The proposed deficit will be just over $830,000, but that is not an alarming signal, the financial officer said, referring to her previous statement regarding earlier surpluses.
Governance costs, including the purchase of goods and services for that group, will come in at $616,300 with $191,500 of that being in the form of salaries and benefits for the trustees.
Administration costs are pegged at $3.546 million with $2.815 million of that being salaries and benefits.
Operating the heating and air conditioning systems in the schools and other facilities will take up $15.5 million and another $10.2 million will be spent on getting the kids to and from school via buses.
The division will be required to borrow just under $2 million in the coming year to pay for the WCS remodelling and eventually that amount should be reimbursed by the provincial government, but Toth noted, carrying/interest costs in the interim will have to be covered by the division.
