SD 5 faces deficit for 2010/11
Cranbrook Daily Townsman
April 15, 2010
By Gerry Warner

School District 5 is facing close to a $1 million deficit in the 2010 – 2011 school year, District 5 Secretary-Treasurer Rob Norum told the monthly board meeting Tuesday.

As things stand now just one month into the new fiscal year, the deficit stands at $995,000 in a budget that currently totals $51,304,508, Norum said….

Provincial law does not allow B.C. Boards of Education to run deficits by law although some have slipped into the red in the past and have been placed under trusteeship by the Province.

District Superintendent Bill Gook said the potential deficit is being taken seriously and District staff will examine all aspects of the system to ensure the District doesn’t end the school year in a deficit position in March 2011.

“We’re going to look at all aspects of our organization and at the same time make sure that any kind of reductions taken don’t affect classrooms.”….

The advent of full-day kindergarten will also help and make school closures more unlikely because there will be a need for new kindergarten classrooms, Gook said. This, combined with a slowing of the enrolment decline, will help the District deal with the budget shortfall, he said….