NANAIMO LADYSMITH From the Board of Education PUBLIC SCHOOLS Email: BoardOfEdueation@sd68,be.ca March 11, 2015 ‘The Honourable Michael de Jong, Minister of Finance PO Box 9417 Stn Prov Govt, Victoria, BC V8W 9V1 Dear Honourable Minister de Jong: To the extreme disappointment of the Board of Education of $D68 (Nanaimo Ladysmith), the budget announced on February 17, 2015 does not invest in public education to an adequate level in order to provide equitable, innovative and balanced programming for all our students. Instead, itis a budget that requires further cuts for districts that have already been cutting year after year after ‘year. Some major disappointments for this school district and our stakeholders include: 1. Your “increase” in operational funding only covers the costs associated with the negotiated teachers’ settlement reached last September. It doesn't begin to cover other downloaded costs such as the increase in MSP premium payments, increases in hydro costs or other rising fixed costs that boards are already facing, 2. By forcing districts to find $25 million in administrative savings in the next school year, you are essentially reneging on your promise to cover the cost of the negotiated teachers’ and CUPE settlement. 3. Your $30 million dollar increase in funding to independent schools is particularly disappointing. By continuing to raise funding for “private” schools, you are in fact creating a publically funded private school system, thus resulting in a public school system that is only accessible to a very privileged few. By continuing to increase funding to private schools, you are funding something that most taxpayers cannot afford. 4. ‘The announced “new” capital funding is anything but “new”, In fact, every project ‘mentioned in the announcement has already been committed to by this government. In particular to SD68, the project mentioned in our district, Wellington Secondary School, is actually over half way through completion. 5, To claim that there is a surplus budget when you are underfunding major services such as education and health care is misleading, 6. Inrelation to the required administrative cut of $25 million dollars across the province for the next school year, it seems that the Ministry of Finance and the government in general, are particularly out of touch with the administrative reality of school districts across this. province, but in particular SD68, 395 Wek Avene,Nemies.2C VIRAKE | hone 250741 S228 ) Fan 250741 S39 | inode | wavs bceNANAIMO LADYSMITH From the Board of Education PUBLIC SCHOOLS Email: BoardOfEducation@sd68.be.ca a. Our district is already operating well below the targeted administrative spending rate of 7%, In 2013/14 our number was 4%. This number has been realized prior to the elimination of a major administrative role, the consolidation of two ather positions into one during this schoo! year, We have also eliminated and reduced school based administration costs due to the closure of numeraus schools in the past year. We expect that for this year’s budget our number will be even closer to the provincial average of just over 3%. b. Premier Clark recently stated in the press that school districts just need to go after the “low hanging fruit” and enter into “group buying” programs as a way to save money. Our school district is already participating in such a program, However, unlike the ones that Premier Clark was referring to, which are "sector based” our district participates in a regional” program. ‘The partners in this group buying program include, Vancouver Island University the City of Nanaimo, The Vancouver Island Regional Library, the Regional District of Nanaimo and many more. ‘This program is not just for supplies, we share services such as garbage removal as well. Over the last decade our small district has cut millions of dollars from its budget resulting in the elimination of over 200 teaching positions, valuable and diverse programming and reductions in hundreds of support staff and administrative positions. Do you think previous boards made all these cuts so we could leave the “low hanging fruit’ in place? We understand the government's demand for efficiencies, but education has done their part, SD68 has done thefr part. Much to the dismay of this Board of Education, this budget reflects the fact that those in charge of the purse strings in our provincial government are sadly out of touch with the reality of running a school district. The implication that all we need to do is find “administrative savings” for public education to once again thrive Is ridiculous. What needs to happen is for your office to once again provide proper funding for public education. Your demand that public schools find more ‘efficiencies’, while at the same time increasing funding to private schools is eroding our public education system, The current funding formula for public education is reinforcing the class system that public education was meant to eradicate. ‘The Board of Education of SD68 and our education partners look forward to a day when this government recognizes the value and importance of public education and begins to fund it accordingly. Yours try, Stove Rac Mike Ball SD 68 Board Chair NDTA President ‘5 Waki Aver, Nei, BC VIR AKE | Fave 250711 S88 | Hu 2507415909 | incon | wom cnNANAIMO LADYSMITH From the Board of Education PUBLIC SCHOOLS Email: BoardOFEdueation@sd68.be.ca th, Crtkcioree Rob Zver Brian Hackwood CUPE President ‘Chair, District Administrative Services Group G2 a2 Wd Le lour-Coopu Joy Bremner Inga Nielsen-Cooper Mid Island Metis Nation Education Rep TTillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre Education Rep William Hargreaves Nancy Seward Stz/uminus FN Education Rep Snuneymuxw FN Education Rep Zand see NATO Patti Rdwards 0” BeAatl eo Nantoole Foe Me au dee. Snaw-Naw-As FN Education Rep Cc: Premier Christy Clark Minister Fassbender MLA Rob Fleming, MLA Leonard Krog MLA Doug Routley 95 Wat Aeon, Nanna, BC VORSKS | Chane 2507413258 | Pa 29074 S50 | neste | ww seen