Committee of the Whole – Budget: March 27, 2023
The Committee of the Whole Budget Meeting for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board took place on March 27, 2023. Staff brought forward one report with one recommendation for discussion.
I voted in favour of the recommendation in the Academic Staffing Plan for 2023-2024. The Academic Staffing Plan is the first step in the annual budget process. The timelines for academic staffing decisions are established in the collective agreement and must be made in advance of receiving detailed information from the province about the Grants for Student Needs. I want to thank the staff for all their hard work in putting together the academic staffing plan this year. I am dismayed by the decision from the province to reduce the funding to public education. For more information about the budgeting process please visit the webpage here.
After hearing from educators, guardians, parents, and delegates about adequate support for the district to provide special education, I asked the staff the following (timestamp 1:49:00):
With the reduction can staff elaborate on any mitigation strategies staff putting in place to address the reduction?
The answer from the staff focused on the changes to the Primary Special Needs classes and the increase Autism Spectrum Classes. Staff have focused on areas where they could further support student learning and achievement. By reducing the three Primary Special Needs positions to support secondary student needs.
Unfortunately, with the reductions in funding, hard cuts had to be made during the Academic Staffing Plan. The motion was passed at the Committee of the Whole Meeting and will now be brought to the Board Meeting on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, for the final vote.
During the discussion of the academic staffing plan, a Trustee brought a motion forward to have staff provide an update and options outlining additional reductions to the academic staffing adjustments of both $1 million and $2.5 million. I voted in favour of the motion. I believe this motion provided the opportunity for the board to provide more data to the public on the different options to reduce spending given the board’s constraints from the province. The motion did not pass at the Committee of the Whole meeting.
If you disagree with the cuts to education in the provincial budget, please email your local Member of the Provincial Parliament.
Please note, that the opinions expressed here are entirely my own and do not reflect an official position of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board or the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board of Trustees. Please note answers from staff are paraphrased, the recording can be found here if you would like to watch the entire meeting. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me using my contact form here.
