The South Shore Regional School board has balanced its budget for 2012-13. Board member Judith Sullivan-Corney approved the $72.6-million budget during Wednesday night's meeting. The board will have a revenue reduction of $1.4-million, but will also absorb cost of living increases estimated at $1-million. Sullivan-Corney says balancing the budget was difficult after funding cuts for the second straight year.
"The senior staff have worked very closely with each and every school, and so, we looked at each school and their particular needs and then recommendations were made to the board. So, I think we have been able to really make some good decisions around the budget reductions that we have had to take."The board balanced their budget a number of ways including:
- Reduced 20 FTE school based teaching positions
- Reduced governance costs
- Reduced stipends
- Reduced travel expenditure
- Reduced telecommunications expenditure
- Reduced staff professional development funds
- Reduced building maintenance expenditure
- Reduced Alternate and Adult Education program expenditure
- Revenue generated by the NS International Student Program
- Cost savings from changes to two defined benefit pension plans
- Cost savings from school closures
- Cost savings from transportation route reviews - bus route changes
- Cost savings from electricity efficiency projects
- Cost savings from staffing cuts made in 2011-12 budget - August 2011 to July 2012 savings.
The board is already preparing for further reductions to its budget in 2013-14.