Board 'had no choice' on teacher cuts; Saanich trustees made decision 'under duress,' chairwoman says
Times Colonist (Victoria)
May 8, 2009
By: Jeff Bell

A decision to eliminate 15 teaching positions to balance the Saanich district's budget for the next school year was among cuts made "under duress," says the board of education's vice-chairwoman.

The district, …was facing a $3.6-million budget deficit before the board decided on a series of cuts this week to balance the books. Provincial legislation requires boards of education to submit balanced budgets annually.

The reductions in the $69-million 2009-2010 budget are the most imposed by the district in a single year.

"We ended up with a balanced budget with absolutely no cushion for anything that happens next year," Elsie McMurphy said. "We'll continue to have a deficit next year, it's just that we don't know what the government is going to do on funding."…

McMurphy said consideration was given to submitting only the alternative budget, not the balanced budget as required -- a move that could ultimately have cost trustees their jobs. Greater Victoria trustees, who oversee about 20,000 students, voted 5-3 against taking a similar step before passing a $169.4-million budget for 2009-10.

Other cuts in the Saanich budget include reduced access to early-learning and social-work support, fewer educational assistants …A proposal to save money by closing schools on set days was rejected by trustees.

"We got a lot of feedback on that from the broader community, talking about the impact on families and kids, and child-care problems and the impact particularly on children with special needs to have their routine disrupted," McMurphy said.

…McMurphy said adequate funding is an ongoing problem for school districts in B.C…