The Ministry of Education has changed its accounting practices, and as a result, School District #27’s 2012/13 budget will show a $6-million increase over last year’s budget.
This is because the ministry now requires school districts to include special purpose and capital funding and expenses, as well as the regular operating budgets that were previously excluded from budget reports.
This includes funding for programs, such as the Ready Set Learn, Strong Start, CommunityLINK, French immersion, aboriginal technology, Communities That Care, school-generated funds and other grants and endowments that total $4,011,453.
Close to $3 million is added to the overall operating budget because the capital base budget includes amortization of capital assets, interest payments on capital leases, and capital assets budgeted to be purchased from local capital on sites, buildings, furniture and equipment, vehicles, hardware and software.
Meanwhile, funding allocated to the School district based on student enrolment will be reduced by $800,000 in 2012/13, which the SD27 will handle by using surpluses from this year’s budget.
The board is expecting to have 265 fewer full-time equivalent students when schools reopen in September.
