FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Public school board approves 2005–2006 budget
24 August 2005, Belleville, Ontario—The 2005-2006 budget for the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board was approved by trustees at a special board meeting this evening. The budget totals $156.8 million, an increase of 2.2 percent over the previous year’s projected year-end results. The budget is balanced and compliant with all spending envelopes required by the Ministry of Education.

The 2005-2006 budget reflects the continued investment by the provincial government in elementary and secondary education. Over the past few years the government has made substantial investments in specific policy areas, both inside and outside the Grants for Student Needs (formerly known as General Legislative Grants – GLGs) available to school boards.

New and expanded provincial funding initiatives include:
• Teacher collective agreements
• Primary class size
• Good Places to Learn (capital renovations)
• Textbooks
• Small/Rural/Remote Schools
• Declining enrolment

For 2005-2006 the government is projecting an increase in spending on elementary and secondary education of $820 million. Sixty percent of this funding will go to support new programs and enhancements such as the new four-year collective agreements for teaching staff. While these new investments are welcome, school boards anticipate having limited flexibility to use the funding to address cost pressures in a wide variety of expenditure areas such as fuel and utility costs, and employee benefit costs.

“The new budget reflects the infusion of funding from the Ministry of Education. This year the Board is in a position to maintain existing programs and offer enhanced programs as well. Concern still exists around funding to offset cost increases in key operational areas, and receiving adequate funding for Special Education,” remarks Judy Edgar, Chair of the Board.

The Board will continue to face the challenge of declining enrolment across the district as the number of school age children entering the school system both locally and throughout most areas the province drops. With declining enrolment and escalating costs of operating and maintaining an aging infrastructure, there is an ongoing challenge to balance available dollars while keeping pace with ever-changing technology and the need to provide quality programming and services for students.

The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board has 46 elementary and eight secondary schools serving 18,400 students, employing 1,070 teachers and 705 support staff. The Board covers a wide geographical area of 7,221 square kilometres bordered by Maynooth to the north, Deseronto to the east, Prince Edward County to the south, and Quinte West to the West.

For information, contact:
• Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer, (613) 966-1170, or 1 800 267-4350, ext. 2354