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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09d COW Budget 30 May 2018 Report 19, Committee of the Whole, - 1 - 30 May 2018 Budget REPORT NO. 19, COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, BUDGET DATE: 30 May 2018 A meeting of the Committee of the Whole, Budget was held this evening in the Board Room, 133 Greenbank Road, Ottawa, Ontario, commencing at 7:06 p.m. with Trustee Keith Penny in the chair and the following trustees also in attendance: Donna Blackburn, Christine Boothby, Erica Braunovan, Theresa Kavanagh, Shawn Menard, Dr. Anita Olsen Harper, Sandra Schwartz, and Lynn Scott. STAFF: Director of Education, Jennifer Adams; Associate Director of Education, Brett Reynolds; Chief Financial Officer, Mike Carson, Superintendent of Human Resources, Janice McCoy; Superintendent of Curriculum, Dorothy Baker; Superintendent of Learning Support Services, Olga Grigoriev; Superintendent of Instruction, Mary Jane Farrish; Executive Officer, Corporate Services, Michèle Giroux; Manager of Financial Services, Kevin Gardner; Manager of Learning Support Services, Stacey Kay; Manager of Communications & Information Services, Diane Pernari- Hergert; Manager of Board Services, Katrine Mallan; Diversity & Equity Coordinator, Jacqueline Lawrence; Coordinator of Budget Services, Charles D’Aoust; Communications Coordinator, Sharlene Hunter; Audio Visual Specialist, John MacKinnon; and Board/Committee Coordinator, Nicole Guthrie. NON-VOTING REPRESENTATIVES: Malaka Hendela, Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC); Pat Dixon, Ottawa-Carleton Elementary Occasional Teachers’ Association (OCEOTA); Jennifer Tremblay, Ottawa-Carleton Secondary School Administrators’ Network (OCSSAN); Cheryl Cavell, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) (SSP); Andrew Horwood OSSTF (PSSU); Nancy Akehurst, OSSTF (ESP); Stacey Kay, Non-affiliated staff ;and Beth Doubt, Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC). 1. Call to Order Chair Penny called the public meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. He acknowledged that the meeting is taking place on unceded Algonquin Territories and thanked the Algonquin Nations for hosting the meeting on their land. 2. Approval of Agenda Moved by Trustee Braunovan, THAT the agenda be approved, - Carried – Report 19, Committee of the Whole, 30 May 2018 Budget - 2 - 3. Delegations There were no delegations. 4. Discussion Item: a. Report 18-072, 2018-2019 Staff Recommended Budget The Committee had before it Report 18-072, providing the 2018-2019 Staff Recommended Budget for discussion. With the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Carson highlighted the following information:  The District has officially completed the Ministry’s Multi-Year Financial Recovery Plan (MYFRP);  The District continues to benefit from the positive financial impact of enrolment growth;  Academic staffing was approved in March 2018. The 2018-2019 Staff Recommended Budget contains additional staffing changes to provide direct support for students, schools and school-based activities;  The 2018-2019 Staff Recommended Budget shows a 4.9 percent increase (approximately $45.0 million) in both revenues and expenses;  The staff recommended budget provides for an additional 77.0 FTE which includes increases in academic staffing and professional and support staff;  The budget proposes $2.0 million to address shortfalls in a variety of budgets. Key investments are being made in the following areas: athletics, the Volunteers in Education and Breakfast Program (ONFE), information management, technology, health and safety management, as well as maintenance and prevention;  The average daily enrolment projections indicate growth of approximately 2000 students which generates approximately $25.0 million in revenues to address student needs. The additional revenue allows the District to address a backlog of services;  Staff does not anticipate the growth to continue at the current rate and presents a conservative 2018-2019 Budget to prepare for 2019-2020; and  The Local Priorities Fund (LPF) currently supports the employment of 88.0 FTE positions. The LPF funding will continue for 2018-2019 but there have been no indications that the extension agreement will continue. The 2018-2019 Staff Recommended Budget accounts for some of the perceived changes in staffing that may not be viable in 2019-2020 without the LPF. Report 19, Committee of the Whole, 30 May 2018 Budget - 3 - Committee members thanked staff for their work preparing the budget recommendation. During discussion, and in response to questions, the following points were noted:  Ms. Akehurst expressed disappointment that the budget does not include the addition of new school office staff. Staff noted that only one school in the District has a single office administrator based on its total enrolment of less than 100 students;  The Ministry advises that the District have an accumulated surplus of 2% of the operating budget. By the end of the 2017-2018 school year is it anticipated that the District will have a $24.0 million surplus. CFO Carson advised that the District may want to retain the surplus in anticipation of the termination of the LPF. The use of surplus is typically tied to a one time or time-limited major capital expense or a major capacity building exercise and he advised caution with respect to surplus allocation. Any use of the District’s surplus requires specific Board approval;  7.0 FTE Educational Assistants (EAs) were approved as part of the previously approved new special education classes and an additional 12.0 FTE EAs will enhance the total number of EAs currently in schools. The remaining 6.0 FTE EAs are centrally assigned emergency itinerant EAs deployed to schools as needed to support school staff and students;  The Early Childhood Educator (ECE) increase corresponds to the addition of the previously approved kindergarten classes based on the projected enrolment for 2018-2019;  The Ministry recommended kindergarten class maximum capacity for 2018-2019 is 29 students. Staff anticipates that no kindergarten classes will exceed the cap. Should the class sizes change based on late enrolment after the count date in late September, supports will be provided to the school;  Trustee Braunovan requested that kindergarten enrolment projections be provided within the question and answer memorandum;  The increases to expenditures in special education are a result of additional funding from enrolment. The percentage of the over- expenditure on special education was reduced to approximately 5 percent as a result of the additional funding;  The increase in special education revenue is primarily a result of the Average Daily Enrolment (ADE) as well as Ministry calculation changes;  In response to a query from Ms. Doubt regarding the autism support and training grant, CFO Carson noted that the funding has been absorbed into another line item within the budget;  Secondary Learning Support Coaches (LSCs) and Learning Support Teachers (LSTs) were added to support the alternate program and the additional specialized classes at the secondary level as presented in Report 19, Committee of the Whole, 30 May 2018 Budget - 4 - Report 18-030, Academic Staffing 2018-2019 and Memo 18-088, 2018-2019 Specialized Program Class Locations, June Update;  In response to a query from Ms. Hendela regarding a discrepancy in the total revenue for the Extended Day Program (EDP) and the Infant Toddler Preschool Program (ITP) and its impact on the general enrolment, CFO Carson noted that while it is understood that there is an ongoing deficit in ITP, the Board made the decision to not increase fees to enable the program to break-even. The issue of ITP will have to be addressed as the Board sets the fee structure for 2019-2020. The province has allowed the District to blend the cost of EDP with ITP but the District must be clear in the presentation of the costs associated with each program and where the funding for each originates;  The increase in the ECEs assigned to the EDP program is not equal to the changes in enrolment within the program, as staffing is allocated on a site by site basis. The District is reviewing the issue of EDP crossover to ensure the costs are correctly assigned between schools and the EDP. The EDP is variable by enrolment and by day. The District requires a certain number of ECEs to support the core day and a different number to support EDP;  In response to a query from Ms. Hendela, Director Adams noted that staff would provide information to differentiate the number of ECEs for the kindergarten and EDP programs, including information on kindergarten classes that have 2 ECEs attached due to the EDP;  The investments announced in the Grants for Student Needs (GSNs) for 2018-2019 have been incorporated into the budget;  Trustee Schwartz requested information on the positions funded as a result of the GSNs. Staff noted that some of the Ministry enhancements are covered through the Education Program– Other (EPO) grants of which no details have been announced to date. The Ministry is expected to release the information in September 2018;  Trustee Schwartz expressed concern about the decrease and status quo numbers of Multi-Cultural Liaison Officers (MLOs) and English as a Second Language (ESL) support;  ESL teachers were discussed during academic staffing. The enhancements made within the education worker categories as well as the additional special classes created at both the secondary and elementary level will directly support newcomer students;  The District continues to see an increase in both the school condition grant and the greenhouse gas grant due to additional funding from the province and the District’s continued success with the program. The project plan will be brought to the Board for approval and details on the funding will be included in the plan;  Trustees Fisher, Scott and Menard requested an additional narrative on the 2018-2019 Budget investments and their associated links to the strategic plan; Report 19, Committee of the Whole, 30 May 2018 Budget - 5 -  The District’s facilities backlog is approximately $700.0 million. The District invests close to $40.0 million annually on its infrastructure and the significant recent infrastructure investments have allowed the District to positively impact the physical infrastructure. The investments have allowed for progress within program shortfalls. The decisions made with respect to the disposition and closure of facilities will also facilitate a reduction in the backlog;  Staff agreed to provide more information on the District’s vision for asset management;  The 2018-2019 Budget provides additional human resources staff to assist in the maintenance and implementation of well-being and health and safety initiatives;  In response to a query from Trustee Scott regarding the finance and website support positions, Executive Officer Giroux noted that the new school website communications coordinator will assist in the monitoring and auditing of the school websites to promote better communication with parents and guardians with a focus on specific content. It is anticipated that the position will alleviate some of the burden from principals and office administrators;  The previous reduction of finance staff has limited the ability to carry out training support for principal and school office staff in a timely manner. The investment in an additional 2.0 FTE finance and human resources staff will ensure a return to a consistent level of service for District schools;  In response to a query from Trustee Scott, staff agreed to provide detailed information on the investments to support secondary and elementary athletics;  In response to a query from Trustee Menard regarding the surplus and contingency, staff noted that the contingency projected as at 31 August 2018 is $16.0 million. The excess of operating surplus expected at the end of the 2017-2018 fiscal year would be rolled into the unallocated surplus or contingencies;  Trustee Menard expressed the view that a plan for the surplus is required to ensure funding is invested back into the system;  Director Adams noted that due to the uncertainty with the LPF a surplus of $24.0 million is proposed to ensure the District is better able to maintain current levels of support to schools;  Trustee Kavanagh requested a detailed list of instructional coach assignments by department. Staff noted that the total number of instructional coaches was approved during academic staffing and the Director’s Executive Council is in the process of finalizing the allocation of instructional coaches for 2018-2019;  Trustee Kavanagh queried whether or not active transportation is a part of the new vision for student transportation as referenced on folio 20. CFO Carson noted that the Ministry conducted a consultation in January 2018 with school bus operators and met with Board chairs and Report 19, Committee of the Whole, 30 May 2018 Budget - 6 - staff at regional sessions in an effort to better understand the general dissatisfaction with funding for transportation. During the consultation process many school boards identified ways to support active transportation but the primary focus of the review is to provide stability and to manage driver shortages;  Trustee Kavanagh expressed the view that the District should be advocating for additional funding specifically for active transportation;  Director Adams commented that active transportation will not replace busing and applies specifically to those children not eligible to receive bus transportation;  Additional classes and ECEs have been provided to support kindergarten students. The additional professional support staff and EAs will help support children with complex needs. Further investment through the GSNs for the multi-disciplinary team will help support capacity building at the classroom level;  The pupil accommodation amount reflects the amortization expense related to the depreciation of assets, particularly facilities. The pupil accommodation total increases year over year as new facilities are constructed or new assets are acquired. The amount is supported by revenues in an almost equal amount;  Ms. Hendela expressed the view that the cost burden for active transportation has shifted to the City of Ottawa and school councils;  In response to a query from Ms. Hendela regarding clarification on deficits in transportation and technology, staff noted that the District is in the second year of its mobile technology plan. Teacher devices or student devices are provided to schools at a ratio of 4 to 1 with technology at both the elementary and secondary level. Schools with greater need are receiving more technology devices to ensure equity of access. Within the 2018-2019 Budget the District proposes a further investment in the parent, student and staff portals of the District website. The District also plans to invest in the student management system as the Trillium student management system is phased out;  The investment in athletics is a direct result of input from school councils and principals. The additional funding for athletics, particularly at the secondary level, will be prioritized for those schools that experience challenges due to school size or distance;  In response to a query from Trustee Scott regarding the composition of the Research, Evaluation and Analytics Division (READ) team, Executive Officer Giroux noted that there is a large volume of work associated with the READ team and that the District has received a special purpose grant for identity-based data collection. The funding began in the 2017-2018 school year and will continue into the 2018- 2019 school year and budget. Included in this funding is a contract 1.0 FTE position to support the additional workload for the READ team;  In response to a query from Trustee Kavanagh, staff agreed to provide further details on the scope and breadth of the District’s partnerships Report 19, Committee of the Whole, 30 May 2018 Budget - 7 - and how they are supported as part of engagement in the Measurement Report;  In response to a query from Trustee Ellis regarding EAs, CFO Carson indicated that the budget binder lists EA allocations by department;  Within the kindergarten classroom, children that present a safety risk, have behaviour issues or medical conditions can be supported by additional EAs;  There are a total of 4.0 FTE apprentices but the 2.0 FTE identified on folio 6 are additional positions for 2018-2019. The additional apprentices are offset by Ministry funding; and  In response to a query from Mr. Horwood, CFO Carson noted that the additional over-time for facility rentals is filled by full time staff. Additional casual hours for rentals are identified in the budget. The District currently operates the facilities rental program at break-even but the calculation models provided by the Ministry may need to be re- evaluated to ensure the formula is still accurate. The calculation model does contain a provision for a decrease in lifecycle. 5. New Business – Information and Inquiries There was no new business. 6. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 9:11 p.m. Keith Penny Chair Committee of the Whole, Budget