The Board of Education of School District 91 Nechako Lakes met on October 19 in Burns Lake. Finances and enrolment were big topics, as stated in a school district press release.

As has been previously reported in the Courier, most of our local schools have had a declining enrolment.

“Our Schools have 700 fewer students than we had a decade ago,” Superintendent of Schools, Ray LeMoigne said. “We expect further enrolment declines in the next year or two. While there are mining and other developments on the horizon, they may take time to have an impact.”

The decline is due to various factors, such as the economy. The resulting lose of students means that the school district has to pay costs with less money from the provincial government.

At the meeting LeMoigne said that the school district has been using its contingency fund to ease the effect of the enrolment declines. The school district has been using the contingency fund for the past three years. The fund will be exhausted this year as the school district will be spending $1.8 million more than the school district’s projected revenues.

In order to combat this issue, the district is working to develop ways to increase revenues and decrease expenses to combat a shortfall of about $3 million in 2010-2011.

In 2011-12 the district projects that it will need to find a way to raise about $750,000. The school district projects that there may be layoffs as a result of most of the school budget going towards salaries and benefits.

District staff has been directed to seek savings in all areas. Surplus classrooms within schools will be closed and schools will be reconfigured.

“We are working to avoid the financial challenges that we, and every other school district across the province, are facing,” Director of Instruction Ernie Mannering, said. “We have a long and successful history generating new sources of revenue through distance learning. We continue to work in this area and are pursuing further opportunities. These revenues continue to provide enhanced services for the children of Nechako Lakes we know that we can not generate enough revenue to avoid the financial challenge we face.”

Board Chair John Stafford, and Secretary Treasurer Sterling Olson, spoke to the province’s Select Standing Committee on Finance Government Services in Smithers on October 14.

They shared that without notice the annual facilities grant throughout the school district was cancelled even though renovations to school facilities were underway. The resulting cancellation meant that $1.3 million was cut from the school district this year. The school district has been working towards carbon neutrality, and the school board feels these cuts have made that transition more difficult.

Stafford and Olson said that governments should not be taxing governments.

“The carbon tax is just one example of governments taxing governments,” they said. “This just does not make sense as by paying this tax we will be unable to have the funds to make the necessary improvements. Here is one example of inconsistency. We have been receiving a 68 per cent rebate of our GST. Other local governments receive a 100 per cent rebate. Why should there be this difference? We ask that boards of education be exempted from the new HST or be able to claim a 100 per cent rebate.”

During a public video conference held in Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, Vanderhoof, and Fort St. James simultaneously, the School Board approved a class size and configuration reporter presented by Ray LeMoigne. The minister of education will post detailed information and the superintendent’s report can be found on the school district Web site.

The school board has proposed a local school calendar for the 2010–2011 school year. The calendar is different then calendars from previous years in that it has a two-week spring break from Saturday March 19 through to Sunday April 3. One of those weeks coincides with the province wide spring break. The two-week break is not tied to the Easter long weekend.

Over the next two month’s consultation period, people are encouraged to share their views on the calendar. It can be found at area schools or at http://www.sd91.bc.ca/webcal/proposed_calendar.pdf.