Entering into budget considerations for the coming scholastic year, the Campbell River School District had a deficit of $89,000.
On Monday, following thoughtful consideration of all the options, the Board of Education for School District 72 decided on $19,500 worth of savings and to use $389,500 from the district’s operational reserves to provide some budget additions.
The board will continue to look for additional operational savings through the remainder of the year with the goal of reducing the draw from operational reserves.
A budget reduction of $15,000 results from a decision to reduce postage meter costs by moving to electronic payments instead of a leased postage machine and the centralized purchasing of office supplies. There was also an additional $4,500 of cost updates, which brings the total savings to $19,500.
Budget additions include:
$150,000 for the replacement of technology equipment in schools; $30,000 to replace school shop tools with modern tools used in the workforce; $30,000 for an increase in learning resources to support the purchase of special education resources, software purchasing and district software license cost increases; $25,000 towards continuation of elementary technology support teachers; $20,000 for policy review and implementation; $15,000 for development and production of the next five-year strategic plan; $30,000 for a facility review to identify the appropriate use of buildings; $10,000 to restore the district’s health and wellness program for employees; and $10,000 to reverse a previous two per cent cut to maintenance supply accounts.