DDSB approves budget
By Courtney Bachar/The Oshawa Express/LJI Reporter
Durham District School Board trustees have passed the 2020-21 budget, but it wasn’t without hesitation from some.
Trustees voted seven to two at a special board meeting to approve a balanced budget of $813 million. However, several trustees voiced their concern before voting, noting a lack of government funding as one of the key issues.
“I would really like to say no to be able to send a message to the provincial government about the position they have put us in, the lack of foresight, and the lack of planning with regards to what are the potentials for September for COVID-19,” says Oshawa Trustee Michael Barrett.
“None of the options that are being presented by the government, which range from full day school to online learning, not one of the scenarios has the Ministry of Education truly funded in any regard,” he adds.
Barrett notes a lack of funding for protective equipment to help protect staff and students is also a concern.
“We have a primary directive to be able to educate our children, but our second directive is that our staff and our students are safe, and there is no recognition by the ministry,” says Barrett. “Whether it’s a classroom of 15, whether it’s personal protective equipment, or whether it’s technology, there is no recognition.”
He says despite not truly representing the best effort of the province to ensure students and staff are safe, nor recognizing the dollars required to fill that need, he applauds the effort by staff to balance the budget.
“Staff have done a herculean task of being able to balance out this budget. I will not oppose this budget, but I will oppose the ministry’s actions of assuming that somehow boards across this province have the ability and the funds to be able to meet the requirements being put on this board,” says Barrett. “The concept of being able to keep 7,000 staff and 71,000 students safe in our school board alone, it’s shameful we are ignoring the issue,” he adds.
Whitby Trustee Niki Lundquist was one of two trustees to vote against the budget.
“I think it’s an extraordinary thing to be asked to pass a budget when there are so many unknowns,” she says. “We’re entering into a phase of massive unknowns. All indicators are that boards just don’t have enough space, enough staff, the resources to manage these things, to educate kids in this climate, to keep our teachers, our education workers safe… I’m struggling a great deal,” she adds.
Oshawa Trustee Ashley Noble echoed her fellow trustee’s concerns, noting the lack of funding from the government.
“There’s no room for trial and error on this when it comes to people’s lives,” she says. “We can’t take the risk of sending people back into buildings when the government is not giving us proper direction or committed to proper funding. It makes me deeply concerned.”
When asked by Trustee Paul Crawford what would happen if the budget didn’t pass, Carla Kisko, interim associate director of corporate services, explained it’s a requirement that school boards pass a balanced budget and if that doesn’t happen, the ministry would likely step in.
“We know there is a lot of uncertainty around the PPE component in particular…our expenditures will be tracked and brought forward to the board in the fall which I think then makes it extremely obvious to our public and to the province that this is the gap in terms of the funding that is required under a COVID environment that was not provided,” Kisko says.
“I don’t believe we have a choice. A budget has to go forward at some point, whether or not it’s passed by the board, or the province decides to enter the field,” she adds.
In addition to approving the budget, trustees also approved a motion brought forward by Ajax Trustee Donna Edwards and seconded by Oshawa Trustee Darlene Forbes, to send a letter, along with the budget approval, to the ministry outlining the board’s concerns pertaining to risks and cost pressures.