Chief Superintendent: 100 teaching positions may be saved

As CAPSC has learned over the last several months, the budget process is complex, fluid,and subject to change once all the pieces start coming together. One of our commitments to membership is to keep them up-to-date with information that is timely and accurate as possible. From last night's meeting of the board, the Chief Superintendent's report.....

Over the last two months, the Calgary Board of Education has been grappling
with a $61.7 million budget shortfall. We have a legal and fiscal responsibility
to balance the budget. When three‐quarters of our operating budget is
salaries and benefits—and three‐quarters of our budget goes to schools—we
cannot absorb $61.7 million without affecting people, schools and students.
Since the budget was announced Feb. 24, the CBE has been calculating and
communicating the impact. Our initial estimates are proving to be quite
accurate.

Tonight, as we bring forward a report for approval to proceed with an early
release of resources to facilitate staffing at schools, I would like to connect our
initial estimates to the revised figures. You will see that the impact on schools
is better than initially communicated. Instead of a 2.1 per cent increase in the
RAM, the increase will be 3.0 per cent.

As you know, our proposal to close the budget gap involves using an
estimated $12 million of reserves and two phases that affect services,
programs, employees and students in classrooms.

The first phase was introduced on March 22. It involves a redesign of central
services to save at least $24.9 million. This phase eliminates the equivalent of
172 full‐time positions.

On March 22, we also made a promise to keep students first by asking schools
to contribute last.

Initially, we estimated schools would be asked to absorb $24.8 million. As we
distribute the RAM, the outcome for schools is slightly better than estimated
You may remember this equation from March.

$61.7M shortfall - central service redesign = impact on school RAM

Starting with the shortfall, if you subtract the initial reductions from
centralized services, you have the impact on schools. By continually working
the problem, we have lessened the impact on schools.

$61.7M shortall - $24.9M central service redesign = impact on school RAM
First, we proposed to deplete our remaining reserves.

$61.7M shortfall - $24.9M central service redesign - $12M reserves = impact on school RAM

Second, with the RAM, principals will be asked to apply all school‐based
reserves to mitigate staff reductions. The estimated $2.7 million could mean
we save about 38 positions in schools.

In addition, we have $800,000 in operating reserves and $3.0 million from an
amortization reserve. The amortization reserve was confirmed by finalizing
our board‐funded capital budget.

Together, these represent $6.5 million more than the original reserve
estimate.

Essentially, we propose using $18.5 million of reserves.

$61.7M shortfall - $24.9M central service redesign - $18M reserves = impact on school RAM

Third, administration dug deeper to finding additional gains in central services
to further reduce the impact on schools. Administration has come up with a
net $3.9 million between reductions and a small revenue increase.

Instead of $24.8 million, the RAM will call on schools to absorb $14.4 million.

$61.7M shortfall - $28.8M central service redesign - $18.5M reserves = $14.4M impact on school RAM

Remember, to get to the $14.4 million RAM for schools, we applied $2.7
million of school‐based reserves. All schools with reserves are expected to use
them to mitigate staff reductions.

$17.1M RAM - $2.7M school-based reserves = $14.4M impact on school RAM

We have increased the RAM percentage to 3.0 per cent from 2.1. In addition,
the RAM impact on schools improves from an initial estimate of $24.8 million
reduction to a $14.4 million reduction.

During an impossibly difficult budget year, this $10.4 million difference may
save more than 100 teaching positions.

Resource Allocations to Schools

At tomorrow night's regular meeting of the Board of Trustees, Administration will be presenting the report Resource Allocations to Schools - Early Spring Staffing 2011/2012 Preliminary Operating Budget for the board's approval.

An excerpt from that report follows:

Projected school based staffing changes

School based certificated staff - as a result of the elimination of small class size initiative funding for grades 4 - 6 and the net flowthrough effects to schools
(81.0) FTEs estimated

School based certificated and non certificated staff - as result of RAM allocation rate increases less than the resource allocation required to accommodate the full salary and benefit cost increases for school based staff
(243.0) FTEs estimated

Total (324.0) FTEs estimated

Please note this is in addition to the 172 positions cut in phase I of the budget process.

Once the report is approved and RAM resources are allocated to schools April 20, Principals must submit final staffing decisions to Administration by May 3. These staffing decisions will become part of the 2011/2012 Final Operating Budget that will come before the Board of Trustees at their June 14 Regular meeting for decision (Prior to that, the Preliminary Budget Report to the Board of Trustees will be made available to them May 24).

CAPSC Question Regarding Upcoming Budget Submitted to Trustees

CAPSC made a submission during the Public Question Period at last night's regular meeting of the Board of Trustees.

Parents and School Councils are anxiously waiting for information regarding budget impacts at the school level particularly around staffing allocations. Is there a timeline in place for the RAM deployment of instructional resources to schools and when this information might be available for discussion with school councils?

Chief Superintendent, Naomi Johnson, responded that it has been three weeks since the provincial budget was tabled at the Legislature. Administration is looking closely at resources centrally and have met with principals. The tentative date for the RAM allocations to go out to schools is April 21. Administration will be meeting again with principals next week with more details around implications. A timeline is being worked on that will outline the process through to June when the budget will be presented to Trustees for their approval. Ms. Johnson hopes to have more information for the following evening's CAPSC meeting. She also indicated that Ms. Meyers, Superintendent, Finance and Business Services, would also be in attendance.