School district officials reacted cautiously to the provincial Throne Speech, which foreshadows the probing of school budgets for cuts.

The speech noted that government revenues have been decimated by the province’s economic maelstrom, and that stringent measures are coming in next week’s provincial budget.

Subsequently, formerly independent public bodies — like health authorities and school boards — are caught in the gravitational pull of government recessionary measures.

“All ministries and Crown agencies will work to find new ways of doing things so we can deliver quality services at lower costs,” the speech noted.

“Central to that endeavour is the need to constrain wage-related spending pressures.”

Pending the outcome of the Comptroller General’s review, legislation may be needed to protect and advance those public interests, it continued.

“Health Authorities, Boards of Education and Crown corporations will all be subject to similar reviews…

“It is a significant change and government recognizes that some will be asked to make significant adjustments,” the speech further noted.

In reaction to the speech, School District 70 superintendent Cam Pinkerton said the recession, changes to a facilities agreement in the spring and money held back from the B.C. Lottery Corporation in June were all foreboding signs.

“All of these things are indicators that changes were coming,” Pinkerton said.

The district is going into the year expecting a 3.8 per cent drop in student enrolment, he added. “We’re still above the line, but there’s very little flexibility for us,” he said.

The Ministry of Education indicated that they will try to protect the block funding the district gets for students, which Pinkerton said amounts to $6,000 per student.

Trustee Rosemary Buchanan was blunt in her reaction. “I’m totally dismayed at this undermining of local democracy — I can’t believe this.

“They’ve already underfunded education for years and now this?”

reporter@albernivalleynews.com