The Sea to Sky school board has been struggling with an initial budget $768,000 in the red, but by the time they met in Whistler on May 12 to give the final 2010/2011 budget first and second reading, their deficit was down to zero.
At the opening of the meeting, chair Rick Price announced they could "achieve a balanced budget, but not a happy budget."
"We are not able to provide all the services we wish for our students," he said.
A $30,000 increase in student transportation due to high school grade reconfiguration was set in stone, but other areas were revisited to assess where cuts could be made.
The board reversed the March 10 budget requests and could only afford to give schools the same budget amount as 2009/2010, without allocating extra money for wage increases and inflation.
Schools will have to take the cuts for wage increases within their own budgets because the Collective Teacher's Agreement states that teachers must receive a wage increase every year between 2006 and 2011.
The board also used the $48,000 surplus in the Reconnect Alternative Program (RAP) and the 2009/2010 operating surplus to bring the deficit to zero.
In the face of individual school decisions to cut back on teacher librarians, Tina Sherlock, of Mamquam Elementary and Jackie Hancox presented the board with 10 ways the work creates lifelong library users with the skills they need to succeed at university.
Third and final reading of the 2010/2011 operating budget is planned for June 9.
With files from Penelope Buswell
