A meeting about the potential reconfiguration of Lac la Hache Elementary School on March 10 delved into some of the associated budget ramifications.
The potential for more than $174,000 in savings for School District 27 (SD27) was discussed, and resulted in some interesting questions and points raised by parents.
Board chair Wayne Rodier noted if SD27reconfigures the school to primary grades only, trustees can "pretty much guarantee it will remain in the community into the future."
If it is not reconfigured, trustees will have to find "a whole bunch of money" elsewhere, he said, adding the board thinks the school will probably be back up and running again [with kindergarten to Grade 7] within three years.
With a $1-million shortfall in school board budget that would otherwise involve program and staffing cuts the board doesn't want to do, Rodier said, "there really aren't any other options."
If reconfigured, he noted Lac la Hache elementary teachers will be placed at other schools.
Because the school will still be maintained and heated even if reconfigured, a father of three students said if the staff is transferring, he doesn't see how there would be a cost reduction for SD27.
Rodier said the reduction comes because the school district wouldn’t be hiring new teachers.
"... if the Lac la Hache reconfiguration does happen, district-wide there will be fewer teachers employed next year than there are this year."
The board chair explained this could happen as a result of retirements, teachers leaving, temporary teachers not being re-hired, or, if necessary, some existing teachers being laid off. However, Rodier added layoffs were probably unlikely.
Robert Neale, who is a grandparent of children attending the school, suggested getting rid of a staff executive and putting those wages back into the budget to solve the money shortage.
"First of all, I think the school district here is notorious for wasting money, losing money and then finding money over the years, and we've all seen that."
This primarily involved "a lot of waste that comes right out of this school district," Neale said.
"You guys lose a lot of money. Why don't you just come up with a couple of bucks and leave things alone."
These statements garnered applause from other parents.
Then, Rodier also encouraged the upset parents to lobby their MLA to get more funding from the Ministry of Education.
While Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett was not at the meeting, she responded by saying it is the elected school board trustees job to allocate funds and lobby the education ministry for more if they want.
Noting she welcomes people to see her about the issue, Barnett said it should not be left in the parents' laps to take a budget problem to government.
She explained the funding for schools is based on a formula for the number of students, and the school district also gets rural and remote funding for Lac la Hache Elementary School, as do the schools in other smaller communities.
"[That funding] is increasing in the district to $6.05 million from almost $5.9 million, so they will get extra money for rural schools. If the students aren't there, they don't get the funding."
The school board also receives funding protection for 2011/12 school year, as a buffer if student enrolment drops, in order to balance the budget, she added.
Trustee Pete Penner reminded parents at the meeting that SD27 trustees have seven votes in the province, but the community has many [during provincial elections].
However, Barnett pointed out the trustees are also elected.
"School boards are elected to manage schools and, therefore, if the school board feels they are not being funded correctly, then the school board should go to the province and present their case."
