Yk1 adds jobs despite shortfall
Deficit expected to grow larger next year but long-term finances look good, says trustee
Evan Kiyoshi French
Northern News Services
Friday, June 5, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The city's public school district is adding to its workforce despite a projected deficit that will be seven times greater next year than what it is now.
Terry Brookes, head of the public school district's finance committee, told the few people attending a public meeting May 26 that the district's deficit - currently at around $90,000 - will increase to $669,000 by the end of next year. - Evan Kiyoshi French/NNSL photo |
Yellowknife Education District No. 1 (Yk1) administration presented its draft budget at a public meeting May 26 during which trustee and finance committee member Terry Brookes announced that while the school board is spending more money than it's recuperating in revenues, the 2014-2015 $90,000 deficit budget is significantly smaller than the estimated $300,000 deficit the finance committee foresaw at this time last year.
"We're actually ahead of our budget as compared to last year," said Brookes, adding that the $669,000 estimated deficit budgeted for June 2016 may also turn out to be smaller than currently projected since administration staff have a knack for making ends meet.
"Will it be $669,000? I would predict not. Throughout the year ... there are all kinds of programs and dollars that (our staff) can submit for and apply for."
Total revenues for the 2015-2016 year will be a little more than $32 million while the total expenditures sit at $32.8 million, giving the district a deficit budget of $668,938.
The district will add four new teachers, a guidance counsellor to be shared between the schools, a shared guidance counsellor to support special needs students, a half-time literacy support staff member at Mildred Hall School and between two and three education assistants to be shared among the schools. The district anticipates losing two preschool instructors because preschool enrolment numbers have dropped, said Brookes. The district will gain a preschool co-ordinator to be shared between schools.
Superintendent Metro Huculak said changes were made to appease parents who have been asking for more gym teachers and fine arts programming.
"We did add extra teachers, we added extra support staff," he said. "We're looking next year to have community members who are experts in the fine arts to support teachers in school. We're going to try to ... have more community members."
In spite of the growing deficit the district still boasts an accumulated surplus around $1.7 million, said Brookes. The accumulated surplus is the amount of money the district still has banked to cover unexpected costs over the following school year, said Brookes.
"So we're still very much in a healthy area. We're a healthy organization financially, we've got good growth."
Tram Do, director of corporate services, said the district's total enrolment - which sat at 1,810 students last June - has increased by 43 students since that time.
Do said since the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) funds city schools based on enrolment and salary increases for teachers based on their collective agreement settlements with the Northwest Territories Teachers Union, the board can expect an increase of $1.3 million in the coming year.
"More than half of that is going toward salaries and benefits for teachers," she said. The district will receive more from city taxpayers as well, since the increase in enrolment means it will take a larger share of taxes collected for education - a 0.7 per cent chunk translating into nearly $77,000. In addition to funds received from ECE and city taxes, the district takes in rental income through its district-owned apartment building Nordic Arms. It took in $38,000 in rental fees this year, which is an increase of $20,000 from last year, said Brookes.
"Another one of the things the district does to generate money, we provide superintendent contracts with Dettah and Ndilo," said Brookes, adding that the district cleared more than $474,000 providing those contracts. The district will approve its budget at its next board meeting on June 9 and must have its budget delivered to ECE by the end of the month, said Brookes.
