SD52 amends 2020/21 budget to address salary increases, March business covers range of projects and recent events

School District 52 has amended the Budget Bylaw for 2020/21, providing for an increase of 3.7 percent from the original amount of over 32 million dollars, with Board officials making for some financial maneuvering over the course of two days of meetings from February 23 to 25.

As we outlined on the blog last month, the District had announced their plan to review their budget towards a need to provide for an increase to salaries. 

From their review, the Board decided on a  decrease to its operating fund for supplies and services by near 600,000 dollars, clearing the way for the required amount of $1,184,958.

Board officials noted that the amended budget will be posted to the SD52 financial pages 

With the work of amending the current financial operation plan complete, school trustees returned to a regular board meeting on March 9th, with a few items of note relayed by the Board office.

Among the themes from the March gathering were two items of note from Lax Kxeen Elementary School, included in the list a review of some of the hands on outdoor learning that students are receiving at Lax Kxeen, with Principal Susan Kobza and Vice Principal Jean Marogna also advising that the school will soon have new playground equipment installed and that the school has started up a fundraising program towards a permanent outdoor classroom structure.

Lax Kxeen also was featured in another note from the School District, with the Board approving an amended capital plan for 2020/21 adding for the demolition, and hazmat and soli remediation of an area at the school.

School Board officials also highlighted the work underway towards forming a Strategic Plan Committee, as well as a review of an anti-racism gathering from March 8th. 

That event was co-hosted by the Indigenous Education Department and The North Coast Immigrant and Multicultural Service Society.

The Board of Education also announced that KPMG will be the SD52 auditors for the year ended Jun 30, 2021.

As well, work on a district wide washroom project will go ahead soon, that after the School District hosted a tender process towards the project which attracted five bids, with ThinkSpace Architecture Planning Interior Design selected to provide the architectural services for the project.

You can review the full overview of the March 9th meeting here.

For more notes from education in the Northwest see our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review