Officials are trying to figure out how to pay for a Supreme Court ruling that would add 32 new teachers and support staff in the Sea to Sky School District, an amount anticipated to cost schools about $3 million.
The 32 new positions do not represent actual hires, but rather the equivalent of a full-time position. Therefore, instead of hiring a brand new staff member, additional hours may be given to part-time teachers to hit that target.
This number may change because it is only an initial projection for the upcoming school year, but it’s eliciting some worry from officials, who made their concerns clear in the latest meeting of the school district’s finance committee.
“You’re almost bound to make a commitment in September,” said trustee Chris Vernon-Jarvis. “Then you’re supposed to pray that the government gives you the money?”
Of those positions, 12 are expected to be teachers, while 20 are expected to be support staff – this would include counsellors, psychologists and special education teachers.`
Such additions are the product of a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling that ordered B.C. to revert class sizes and composition to pre-2002 levels. Composition refers to the types of students and educators in each class, such as how many special needs students, learning assistants and teachers are in each room.
It was a result of a years-long battle between government and the BC Teachers’ Federation, which contested the province’s decision to strip the union of its right to bargain for class sizes and composition 15 years ago.
For the Sea to Sky School Board, the ruling presents a potential financial problem.
Each teacher or support worker, on average, costs about $95,000, when salary, training costs, benefits and other employment-related expenses are factored in.
To help pay for the Supreme Court decision, the province has promised to give the school district about $2 million, which would still leave the school board at a deficit of about $1 million, said secretary-treasurer Shehzad Somji in an interview with The Chief, following the committee meeting.
He also told the board he was concerned the additional money may not be a consistent, year-to-year contribution.
“They could give it to you upfront and claw it back down,” Somji said.
This cash may also be stretched a bit more thin, because a portion of the promised $2 million may also go to classroom expenses associated with the new ruling. Some examples include buying more furniture – such as desks – and room modifications for accommodating new class sizes.
The school board will be seeking more money from the government, Somji said.
“They’ve said they’re going to fully fund it, and we’re just going to have to hold them to it,” said Supt. Lisa McCullough during the meeting.
Another point of concern was how the government decided upon the $2 million dollar figure. The number was provided with no explanation of how that amount was decided, board members said.
“We don’t know the logic they used when they gave us that money,” said McCullough.
This would be problematic, because without showing how they arrived at that figure, she said it would be impossible for the school board to hold a proper dialogue with the province on funding.
All the above numbers are subject to change, as they are only initial projections based on a draft budget. The final budget is expected to be approved in June.
But even after the final budget is approved, the figures can shift.
Official headcounts for the upcoming school season aren’t in, as this normally takes place in the fall. The province can withhold education funding until it knows exactly how many students are in each class. More or less money may be provided, depending on the results.
Furthermore, the board often has to wait until the middle of the school year – around January –to see if everything is going according to the budget plan.
In a separate funding boost for the current school year, the Sea to Sky School District had already started looking at hiring more teachers when B.C. gave out $50 million in a provincewide initiative to hire more educators and support staff.
Earlier this year, the school district received about $454,000 from this grant, allowing local schools to add the equivalent of 6.5 full-time teachers.
This was intended as an interim measure to the Supreme Court order, which was read in the fall. The order is expected to come into full effect for the 2017 to 2018 school year, prompting the arrival of the extra 32 positions.
Currently, almost 400 teachers are on staff district-wide.
The school district encompasses the Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton areas.
