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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20 COW Budget Report 1 23 May 2002W/ 6-. OTTAWA- CARLETON DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD TO: The Board REPORT NO. 1, COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE (BUDGET) DATE: 23 May 2002 A meeting of Committee of the Whole (Budget) was held this evening in the Board Room, 133 Greenbank Road, Ottawa, commencing at 9:20 pm with Trustee David Moen in the Chair, and the following in attendance: Trustees Lynn Graham, Margaret Lange, Myrna Laurenceson, Jim Libbey, Norm MacDonald, Sheryl MacDonald, Pam Morse, Lynn Scott, and Joan Spice. Student Trustees: Emma Cohen and Trevor Robinson. Staff: Director of Education, Jim Grieve; Superintendent of Financial Services, Michael Clarke; Superintendents Larry Archibald, Rose -Marie Batley, John Brennan, Judith Hoye, Nancy MacLeod, Dan Mason, Laura McAlister, Katharine Saunders, Judy Turriff, and Bonnie Viney; Labour Relations Officer, Janet Beer; Manager, Facilities, Physical Planning and Transportation, Michael Carson; Coordinator of Budget Services and Financial Systems Support, Charles D'Aoust; Manager of Physical Facilities & Design and Construction Services, Kathy Lausman; Assistant Secretary of the Board, Joan Melancon; Manager of Communications and Information Services, Maggie Melenhorst; Management, Policy and Planning Advisor, Janice Sargent; Technician, Robert Giekes; and Committee Coordinator, Brenda Cooper. Non - Voting Representatives: Ottawa - Carleton Assembly of School Councils, John MacLatchy; Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, Tony Pearson (Teachers), and Ross Langtry (Professional Support Services Personnel); Ottawa - Carleton Elementary Teachers Federation, Dave Wildman; Special Education Advisory Committee, Lamar Mason; and Ottawa Carleton Secondary School Administrators' Network, Tom Schultz; and Lynne McCarney, Ottawa - Carleton Elementary School Administrator's Association. During the course of the meeting, Trustee Graham assumed the Chair whenever Trustee Moen wished to participate. Call to Order Chair Moen called the meeting to order at 9:20 pm, and apologized for the delay in beginning the public portion of the meeting. He reported that the purpose of the meeting was to hear staff's presentation regarding the provincial funding announcement of 17 May 2002. Public Ouestion Period. (a) Community School. Katimavik /Hazeldean Area Bob Hillier, a Castlefrank Elementary School parent, expressed concern that regular English program students will have to pay for transportation out of the community, when there is space for these students in the community in Katimavik, which is an underutilized French immersion centre. He asked whether it would be possible to implement a boundary change that would keep students in the community for grades 7 and S. Committee of the Whole (Budget) - 1 - 23 May 2002 MO Michael Carson recalled there had been an area review in Kanata about 4 -5 years ago, and noted that the proposed change would require another review. Staff are reviewing timelines for a new boundary study, with implementation in the 2003 -04 school year. (b) Change in School Hours Stephen Leacock Public School John Carter, Chair of the Stephen Leacock School Council, reported that parents are very concerned about safety with respect to a change to an 8:00 am start time next September to accommodate transportation changes. In the winter, students would be walking to school or waiting for their bus before sunrise, and with many parents choosing to drive their children, traffic around the school will be hazardous. The parents regret that there was no consultation, and feel the decision was driven by OC Transpo. Mr. Carter suggested that very few of Stephen Leacock's students would use OC Transpo, and asked if the start time could be revised, perhaps to 8:30 am. Michael Carson reported that the Board had worked with OC Transpo to ensure grade 7 -8 students would be able to get to school. To accomplish this, it was necessary to make changes to the school start times outside of peak hours. The changes were identified in January, and although staff tried to have adjustments made a number of times, it was not possible. (c) Access to French Immersion Programs Kanata Philippa Wilson, a Katimavik parent, expressed concern about equitable access to grade 7 -8 middle and late French immersion programs in Kanata. Stittsville students are provided with free transportation, but Kanata students must pay transportation costs to attend these programs. She asked when this inequity would be addressed. Michael Carson reported that the Board has worked with OC Transpo to provide the best solution. Where students are widely dispersed, parents must make a decision about the best way to get their children to school. (d) Poverty in Kanata Philippa Wilson read a letter from Heather Colls of the Kanata Food Cupboard regarding the working poor in Kanata, and the hardship that will be caused by the Board's new grade 7 -8 transportation policy. The letter argued that financial assistance is demoralizing, and that parents will have to choose between eating or having their children take the bus. The Chair requested that Ms Wilson leave a copy of the letter with staff. (e) Beverly Graham, Kanata Inter - School Council Representing all nine elementary schools in Kanata, Bev Graham of the Kanata Inter - School Council conveyed the Council's concern that in the face of transportation reductions and an insufficient number of schools, the Board has failed to meet the basic needs of the community. She observed that for Board annual savings of $100K, parents in Kanata will have to pay $150K for grade 7 -8 transportation. Ms Graham asked when the Board will build four new schools in the community, and reinstate grade 7 -8 transportation. The Director noted that the underfunding of transportation has caused difficulties for parents across the region. The upcoming debate on the Long Term Accommodation Plan may address some of the concerns in Kanata. VJ Committee of the Whole (Budget) - 2 - 23 May 2002 67 3. Staff Presentation re Provincial Fundin Staff report 02 -144 entitled Recommended Budget for 2002 -03 was distributed at the meeting. The report recommended approval of a revised 2002 -03 budget, in light of the receipt of the general legislative grants (GLGs). The grants were released on Friday, 17 May 2002. The Director reviewed the report, and recalled that when the budget was approved on 4 March 2002 (Board minute 02 -140 refers), it had been recognized that it would be necessary to revisit the budget after the GLGs were announced. Before the Committee this evening was an updated version of the previously- approved budget. According to the grant information, the Board will receive approximately $8.7 million more in 2002 -03 than it did in the current year. Director Grieve pointed out, however, that only $1.5 million of the additional funds is available to address the budget deficit. To achieve a balanced budget of $521.1 million, a total of $33.7 million in reductions is required. Having already made reductions of $10.3 million, a $23.3 million gap remains. Included with the report were appendices outlining approved and proposed reductions totalling $33.7 million, and the implementation of central reductions made in accordance with earlier budget decisions. Impact statements for the new items were included with each of the appendices, and the Director remarked that the cuts in central departments are too deep. The Director reported that the need to live within the projected revenues required staff to revisit many of the recommendations made in the original budget presented to trustees on 5 February 2002, including special education and transportation reductions. Some modifications were required for items such as school closures which are no longer possible for the 2002 -03 budget year. The recommendations were reviewed with the broad range of input from the Board's community in mind, and represent the best choice among the remaining options. They include some of the non - recommended options from the earlier budget deliberations such as all day /alternate day kindergarten, additional reductions to school and occasional teacher budgets, and the twinning of schools for savings which could not be realized through school closures. Some new options were considered as well, but would not have been feasible given the short time to the start of the new school year. One of the new options considered was to split the Adult High School to top up the population of two schools, but there were no savings. Another option considered was the elimination of junior kindergarten, and the implementation of full day senior kindergarten, for a savings on noon -hour transportation. Since senior kindergarten has a higher enrolment than junior kindergarten, any savings would have disappeared due to the cost of additional teachers. In conclusion, the Director observed that neither staff, nor trustees want to deal with this, but staff must show trustees a way to balance the budget. He thanked trustees and staff for their eight months of hard work, and remarked that the OCDSB has the most challenging budget in the province because other school boards are not at this stage with their budgeting problems yet. Trustee Libbey reported that he had spoken briefly with the Minister of Education, and confirmed that there is little hope of additional funding for the Board. He remarked that the question is what to do about it, and although he appreciated staff's work in updating and bringing forward the proposed revisions to the budget, he advised that he could not support the staff recommendation. He indicated that he wished to bring forth another motion when discussion began. Committee of the Whole (Budget) - 3 - 23 May 2002 '00 Trustee Scott moved the recommendation in the staff report, but was ruled out of order by the Chair as Trustee Libbey had already indicated that he wished to make a recommendation at the appropriate time, i.e., during discussion, which would begin at the end of questions and comments about the staff presentation and funding. The Director reviewed appendix A, an amalgam of the original reductions, the approved reductions, and the reductions still required. The lines are identical to the previous budget, with binder references and highlighting of the new changes. In response to queries, Michael Clarke reported that the budget does not include additional funding earmarked for textbooks and early mathematics materials, nor does it include reductions to the school carryforwards. With respect to why the projected additional revenue does not offset the projected deficit by the same amount, Mr. Clarke advised that since the budget was approved, the Board has faced various cost increases, including the cost of new collective agreements. The Director confirmed that many schools save school- generated funds towards special projects as part of their long term planning, and concurred with Tom Schultz's remark that additional reductions to school budgets will aggravate their difficulties. Lamar Mason suggested that savings of approximately $10 million had been achieved in the last few years with the partial implementation of the new special education delivery model, and that this had resulted in a significant reduction in services. She argued that in view of the requirements of the IPRC process, the proposed changes cannot be implemented without the consent of the parents. The Director referred her to Budget Information Update No. 3, a breakdown of special education reductions totalling about $2 million, and noted that the three year plan for the new delivery model was never implemented. In response to a question from Ms Mason, Superintendent Mason advised that secondary level courses exceed the Ministry requirements for the number of required hours, so there is some flexibility to ensure the standards are met. Tom Schultz advised that this is not tracked. Superintendent Batley reported that the following are the proposed matches for twinned elementary schools: Bayview /General Vanier; Elgin /Viscount Alexander; Rideau Valley /Kars; Arch Street /Pleasant Park; Fallingbrook /Riverview (Cumberland); Mutchmor /First Avenue; Hilson /Elmdale; Jockvale /Barrhaven; Knoxdale /Greenbank; Sir Winston Churchill /Parkwood Hills; and Lakeview /Bayshore. She noted that there would be savings on the number of principals, and that there might be some administrative assistance, e.g., a vice - principal designate. Dave Wildman reported that OCETF's position on twinning schools is that every school should have a full time principal, and that principals should be in the school when the vice - principal is teaching. In response to a comment that it took considerable time to make arrangements with OC Transpo to provide grades 7 -8 transportation, Michael Carson confirmed that OC Transpo cannot provide service for grades 4 -6 for 2002 -03, but that staff are continuing to work with them. He suggested, however, that OC Transpo may not be the solution for this age group. In the past, staff have found that school bus operators have little interest in offering a private user pay bus service for students. Trustee Graham commented that the proposed change in transportation could lead to parents selecting a core French program rather than French immersion. Committee of the Whole (Budget) - 4 - 23 May 2002 6 �. In response to a question from Trevor Robinson, Superintendent Viney advised that any discussion of layoffs and collective agreements would have to be held in camera. David Wildman expressed concerns about the effect of the budget on staffing timelines. Dave Wildman commented that the cuts to occasional teachers, special education, etc., would greatly affect all students, but especially those in the regular English program. He expressed concern that teachers would be unable to meet the curriculum requirements. The Director expressed regret as he reiterated his belief that this was an unpalatable way to balance the budget, and that in view of continuous underfunding of education, expectations may have to change. In response to a concern, Superintendent Hoye advised that when the former Carleton Board implemented all day /alternate date kindergarten, there were initial concerns about the effect of a longer day on four - year -olds, but none arose while the program was in place. Staff will determine whether a comment from a pediatrician can be obtained. The Director urged that following careful examination of the proposed budget, decisions be made quickly so as to give sufficient time to deal with staffing issues and with informing parents of changes. In response to a query, he advised that it would be best if the final decisions were made by the end of May. 4. Discussion Trustee Libbey stated that after talking with the Minister of Education and learning that there was little hope of additional funding, he felt that the Board should take a new course of action. Accordingly, Trustee Libbey moved as follows: WHEREAS the recent funding announcement by the government will, as of 1 September 2002, leave the Ottawa - Carleton District School Board well short of the funding required to maintain the level of service currently provided to some 80,000 students; and WHEREAS the Board of Trustees has committed in the past, and wishes to recommit, to refuse to eliminate necessary and valued programs and services in order to compensate for a deeply flawed funding formula, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, A. THAT the Board of Trustees publicly commit to refuse to pass a budget that would eliminate necessary and valued programs and services in order to compensate for a deeply flawed funding formula, recognizing that the result will be a deficit budget unless the government increases funding to the OCDSB; B. THAT the Chair write to the Minister of Education immediately, to indicate that the Board will be on the verge of bankruptcy as of September 1, 2002 and to request that she immediately appoint an investigator to examine the Board's financial condition; C. THAT the Chair suggest to the Minister: (a) that she could use the investigation of the OCDSB to inform the review of the funding formula; Committee of the Whole (Budget) - 5 - 23 May 2002 %0 (b) that she could use the provisions of sub - section 234 (12) to provide transition funding to the OCDSB because of its special circumstances; (c) that in light of Part A of this motion, the Board will not be issuing layoff notices, so the Minister should investigate quickly to avoid incurring financial penalties; and (d) that a broad strategy might be to fund all boards so that they can maintain their expenditures at the level of 2001 -2002, recognizing that the OCDSB would need an additional $20 million because the Board had to use its last working reserves to prop up inadequate provincial grants for 2001 -2002; D. THAT staff examine the possibility of suing the province for its failure to provide adequate funding to the OCDSB over the past four years in selected areas, including: (a) salaries and benefits (b) facilities operations (c) facilities maintenance (d) facilities renewal (e) transportation, with reference to paragraph 234(2) a) of the Education Act, which requires that regulations governing education funding operate in a fair and non - discriminatory manner as between English - language public boards and English - language Roman Catholic boards; and E. THAT, as a precaution, staff proceed with the staffing action that would be necessary to implement the 2002 -2003 budget recommended by staff in report No. 02 -144 dated 23 May 2002. The Committee recessed from 10:55 pm to 11:15 pm to give time for copies to made, and for trustees to review the motion. Because it was contradictory to part E, Trustee Libbey removed part C(c) from the motion. He also changed staffing action in part E to issuing layoff notices. In response to a comment that part E included the special education cuts, Trustee Libbey indicated that he was aware of this, and did not plan to vote in favour of part E. Trustee Libbey described the motion as a cry for help and a cry for investigation of the truth of the Board's contention that the Ministry has underfunded salaries and facilities. He argued that the Board is not in the mood to proceed with the new reductions outlined in Appendix A, and noted that the problems brought by provincial underfunding apply to boards across the province. He noted that he had added part E as a precaution, and that it did not mean committing to the budget or to layoffs. Committee of the Whole (Budget) - 6 - 23 May 2002 I/ With respect to part E, Trustee Norm MacDonald asked when teachers would know about layoffs, and suggested that a final date be set. Superintendent Viney advised that the normal process is to send a layoff notice with a final date of work. Employees may choose to go on the recall list, or take severance pay with no right of recall. Trustee Lange reported that she supported the spirit and intent of the motion. She had concerns with the wording, however, which she felt would lead to the same "carry on as usual" response from the Ministry as last year. Trustee Lange therefore moved in amendment that the wording in the first section of part A be changed to the following: "THAT the Board of Trustees pass a budget of $544.4 million, as specified in the accountability budget, to avoid making further reductions that would eliminate... ". Following discussion, it was clarified that the $544.4 million included all the reductions to date, i.e., those approved on 4 March, and the 10 %a /central reductions approved then, and now outlined in appendix B. It was also clarified that the $544.4 million does not include the accountability budget's transfer to reserves. In response to Trustee Morse's contention that the amendment was out of order because the original motion was to not pass a budget, and the amendment did the opposite. The Chair ruled the amendment in order because it achieved the objective of not eliminating valued programs, etc. Trustee Morse challenged the Chair, and the Chair was upheld. Trustee Morse felt it was too late in the evening to make such a momentous decision, and that with the Board on the verge of bankruptcy, it would not be productive. She moved that consideration of the motion and its pending amendment be deferred to the Board meeting on Monday, 27 May 2002. Lamar Mason noted that this would eliminate the input from the non -voting representatives. In response to a suggestion that the referral be to a budget meeting before the Board meeting, the Director advised given the tight timelines for the Board agenda, this would not be possible. The motion to defer was defeated. Trustee Morse moved THAT the meeting be adjourned. The motion was defeated. A sub - amendment by Trustee Moen to add the following: as specified in the accountability budget updated to 23 May 2002, was accepted as friendly. The amendment to Part A, as sub - amended, was carried. In response to queries regarding part B, Superintendent Clarke advised that the Education Act states that if a school board does not have a balanced budget, it has no power to borrow money. The Board's bankers would be aware that the OCDSB was not in compliance with the Act, and bankruptcy could be a consequence. Although the Board would not be in a deficit position until part- way through the year, because of the timing of its payments, the Board must borrow money during the first week of school. An amendment by Trustee Morse, to substitute the Board for staff in part D, was accepted as friendly. Committee of the Whole (Budget) - 7 - 23 May 2002 VM Those opposed to the motion pointed out that the Board would be taking action which is contrary to the Education Act, and felt that defying the government would lead to serious public relations difficulties. It was felt that the Board may not always have spent wisely, and concerns were expressed about the notion of suing the province, and the idea of precautionary layoff notices in part E. Trustee Morse asked that her comments be recorded, and stated that she did not support the proposed course of action, and would have preferred to discuss the revised staff - recommended budget. She noted particular concern with part E when there is no intent to proceed with layoffs, and feels that the Board has a responsibility to deal with its circumstances. She pointed out that fewer special education cuts would have been required if the recommended school closures had proceeded. Furthermore, if the closures .made by the previous Board had not been rescinded after the last election, the savings on operating costs would have been about $3 million per year. Trustee Morse agreed that there are problems with the funding formula, but contends that it should be acknow- ledged that some problems are of the Board's own making, i.e., when the Board added to the budget even with limited reserves. Trustees favouring the motion felt that it should be made clear to the new Minister that the $544.4 million budget already contains difficult reductions, and that the Board cannot make further cuts without deep damage. Several trustees had reservations about Part E, however, and it was also felt that trustees should no longer refer to past Board actions which cannot be changed. In response to a question about "Plan B" if there is no investigation by the Ministry and no additional funds, the Director pointed out that the circumstances last year were completely different: the budget was balanced. If the Board does not submit a balanced budget this year, the next step would be up to the Ministry. The Board would not be out of compliance until after the filing deadline. He noted, however, that it is very difficult to organize schools in August. Trevor Robinson expressed appreciation that the Board would be standing up to the province on behalf of students. He noted that he does not support part E, and concurred that the Board may have created some of its own problems. Trustee Moen moved in amendment THAT part E be revised to read as follows: THAT staff be directed to proceed with the staffing action necessary to implement the 2002 -2003 budget. Noting that it would clarify the amendment, Trustee Scott moved in sub - amendment THAT the following be added: as specified in the accountability budget updated to 23 May 2002. Those opposed to the sub - amendment felt that it was not necessary as the budget referred to is already clear in Part A. Trustee Moen pointed out that he used the wording from the staff recommendation. The sub - amendment failed on a tie vote. The amendment to part E was carried. Trustee Spice expressed concern that part D might be unnecessarily provocative, and asked whether the Board could actually sue the province. The Director advised that he did not know, but felt it was highly unlikely. Committee of the Whole (Budget) - 8 - 23 May 2002 21 Lamar Mason expressed appreciation that the budget debate would not be drawn out, but she questioned the wisdom of looking into suing the province. On behalf of the parents of children with special needs, she thanked trustees for their stance on the budget. Rob Campbell of OCASC also expressed appreciation that the decision was coming so quickly, and noted that the cuts necessary to achieve a balanced budget were unacceptable. Tony Pearson expressed confidence that school would resume in September, and expressed appreciation that the OCDSB is taking the lead in the fight against the funding formula. He stated that is a difficult task protecting the essential services, and that the Board deserves commendations from the people of Ottawa - Carleton. David Wildman pointed out that the elementary collective agreement includes a staffing process, and urged a decision now so that teachers have their assignments before the end of the school year. Noting that he would not like to see it defeated, but believing that it should not be part of the main motion, Trustee Moen moved in amendment that consideration of part D be postponed indefinitely. The motion to postpone part D was defeated. At the request of Trustee Moen a separate vote was held on each part of the motion, and all were carried. The motion, as amended, was therefore approved for submission to the Board meeting to be held immediately following the budget meeting, viz: A. THAT the Board of Trustees pass a budget of $544.4 million, as specified in the accountability budget updated to 23 May 2002, to avoid making further reductions that would eliminate necessary and valued programs and services in order to compensate for a deeply flawed funding formula, recognizing that the result will be a deficit budget unless the government increases funding to the OCDSB; B. THAT the Chair write to the Minister of Education immediately, to indicate that the Board will be on the verge of bankruptcy as of September 1, 2002 and to request that she immediately appoint an investigator to examine the Board's financial condition; C. THAT the Chair suggest to the Minister: (a) that she could use the investigation of the OCDSB to inform the review of the funding formula; (b) that she could use the provisions of sub - section 234 (12) to provide transition funding to the OCDSB because of its special circumstances; and (c) that a broad strategy might be to fund all boards so that they can maintain their expenditures at the level of 2001 -2002, recognizing that the OCDSB would need an additional $20 million because the Board had to use its last working reserves to prop up inadequate provincial grants for 2001 -2002; Committee of the Whole (Budget) - 9 - 23 May 2002 ;19. D. THAT the Board examine the possibility of suing the province for its failure to provide adequate funding to the OCDSB over the past four years in selected areas, including: (a) salaries and benefits (b) facilities operations (c) facilities maintenance (d) facilities renewal (e) transportation, with reference to paragraph 234(2) a) of the Education Act, which requires that regulations governing education funding operate in a fair and non - discriminatory manner as between English - language public boards and English - language Roman Catholic boards; and E. THAT staff be directed to proceed with the staffing action necessary to implement the 2002 -2003 budget. 5. New Business Trustee Libbey gave notice that he will bring a motion to the Board regarding the restoration of grade 7 -8 transportation in some areas. The meeting adjourned at 1:00 am. David Moen, Chair Committee of the Whole (Budget) BLC -cb Budget- 0200523 IE Committee of the Whole (Budget) - 10 - 23 May 2002