News Release
June 15, 2011
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board approves $900 million budget for 2011-12
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board trustees approved a $900 million budget for 2011-12 at the board’s regular meeting held last night at the Catholic Education Centre. The budget is compliant with Ministry of Education requirements and reflects the commitment of the board to balance student needs with prudent fiscal management.
While funding for all school boards in Ontario increased by 3.8% over last year, the majority of enhancements were related to salary and benefit increases and other conditions agreed to under the Provincial Framework Agreements (PFA). August 31, 2012 marks the end of the fourth and final year of the agreements.
The Ministry has reduced funding through a number of savings measures. The overall impact of this reduction on Dufferin-Peel is approximately $5.8 million in 2011-12. The areas impacted include textbooks, classroom computers, board administration and governance, staff development, school operations and facilities top-up grant, and transportation. During budget deliberations, staff made a conscious effort not to impact school budgets. As a result, reductions to accommodate the savings measures were managed centrally.
In addition to the above, the Ministry has asked boards to reduce their executive offices budget by 10% over two years and redirect these amounts to front line services.
While this is a balanced budget, the board was required to use an estimated $1.8 million of its accumulated surplus to address the new Ministry requirement to fund 50% of the board’s vacation accrual liability.
The budget includes a re-investment in some areas due to additional Ministry funding, including:
► Funding for special education as part of the PFA funding enhancements of approximately $4 million in 2011-12;
► Additional capital funding for the full-day kindergarten program of $1 million;
► A new school condition improvement grant of $4.3 million.
“While the board would have liked to re-invest more significantly in the system,” said chair, Anna Abbruscato, “trustees are well aware that resources are finite. Our challenge is always to balance our limited resources with the wishes of parents, faculty, staff and trustees in providing the best possible conditions for students to achieve success in the classroom, while providing them with the tools they need to succeed.”
Director of Education, John Kostoff, noted that “The board’s 2011-12 budget is aligned with the board’s System Direction and Strategic Plan and the Ministry of Education’s objectives of improving student achievement, closing the gap in student achievement, and ensuring public confidence in schools boards.” He further noted that any adjustments required were made with a view to minimize the impact on students.”
John Kostoff stated that the budget meets the board’s legal obligation to submit a compliant budget and that it is a blueprint for the board to provide quality Catholic instruction and educational programs to enable excellence in student achievement. “Our ability to produce a compliant budget is the direct result of responsible decisions made at the board table,” he said. “Our bottom line is to maximize student achievement in a fiscally responsible manner. I believe this budget is right on target in this regard.”
The board’s budget consultation process is an extensive one which seeks input from parents/guardians, trustees, and the unions and associations that represent the board’s 10,000 employees. “We heard from a wide range of Catholic stakeholders and were able to address some of the items that were raised during the consultation process,” noted John Kostoff.
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is one of the largest and most diverse school boards in Ontario. It serves approximately 87,000 students in 145 schools located throughout Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon and Orangeville. With over 10,000 employees, the board is also one of the largest employers in the region.
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For information contact:
Bruce Campbell, General Manager, Communications & Community Relations
(905) 890-0708, ext. 24466 or (905) 609-1480
Gail Robinson, Superintendent of Financial Services
(905) 890-0708, ext. 24262