The Avon Maitland District School Board has a budget for the coming year.
Superintendent of Corporate Services, Cheri Carter, says the operating budget is just under $225 million and the capital budget is about $22 million.
Transportation costs were a concern.
“Costs have gone up a little bit because of the huge increases our bus companies are facing. The challenge with that particular issue is that the Ministry of Education hasn’t allocated any of that revenue. They’ve earmarked a two per cent funding increase in that portfolio, but they actually haven’t passed it on to school boards,” said Carter.
Carter says they hope they’ll get some of that funding in the fall.
There is also some funding left over from the pandemic.
“Fortunately for us, the Ministry did continue with some of the COVID funding that they had done in prior years to help to run our remote school. So we’re required to continue with the remote learning school next year and we’re able to use the Ministry funds for that, so we’re very pleased about that,” added Carter. “But it was actually not too bad. We have a small deficit projected, of about $1.6 million, which is what we would call budget compliant, it’s a Ministry rule. So, not too bad.”
The 2022-2023 school year starts September 6.
