PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. -- The Prince Rupert School District (SD52) is facing a budget deficit of $3 million this year -- and since school districts are required to balance their budgets, the chair of the school board says there's going to be staffing cutbacks to make up for the shortfall
"Our biggest cost is in our staffing, so there will have to be some staffing cutbacks," says board chair James Horne.
He says district staff will present the board with options on how they can balance their budget at tomorrow night's board meeting, though he's not sure exactly what those cutbacks will look like so far
"If there's going to be cuts, it's going to be to people that we've just hired. So existing teachers I wouldn't expect would have an issue, although I'm sure that with a budget deficit coming up, people are always concerned they won't have a job. So I know that happens, and we will do our best to make sure that we maintain as many positions as we possibly can."
Horne gave two possible reasons for the large deficit.
For one, he says staff members haven't left the district at the rate they normally do as a result of the pandemic, has created a high amount of staff members and staffing costs.
He also says student enrolment in Prince Rupert has been decreasing over the years, and the province funds school district based on how many students are enrolled in them.
However, District Teachers Union president Gabriel Bureau argues those reasons don't explain why the deficit is as large as it is.
"Several districts are finding themselves with a slight decrease in enrolment. We may also be in that situation -- it doesn't explain such a big difference."
For example, he says Victoria's school board is facing a $7 million deficit even though their population is significantly larger than Prince Rupert's.
Moving forward, Bureau says he wants to see more transparency from the board about their financial difficulties.
