This theme honours the final year of our Strategic Plan (2020-2023) by continuing to celebrate the work of the Board’s four strategic initiatives: Catholic Faith and Culture, Mental Health and Well-being, Student Achievement, and Stewardship of Resources. These initiatives create the environment for success for all our students and staff, as well as provide for further opportunities to strengthen our school board and surrounding communities.
“Our continued focus at BGCDSB is meeting our students needs,” said Alecia Lantz, Superintendent of Business and Treasurer, “Our theme of Learn, Lead, Live the Word guides the work we’ve done. We put our students first in everything we do, and that includes our financial planning.”
The 2022-2023 budget incorporates the feedback from key stakeholders and supports the needs of our students and provides opportunities that engage, inspire and nurture our Catholic Values. BGCDSB provided the chance for staff members, parents, students, and members of the community to share their ideas through a ThoughtExchange survey. Details about these results can be found in the full budget book.
The details presented in this report capture our commitment to the Board’s mission, vision and multi-year strategic plan (2020-2023).
Highlights of the 2022-2023 Budget include:
- Valuable Feedback from Key Stakeholders: In early 2022 the Board engaged our Catholic school stakeholders in a budget consultation process using a tool called ThoughtExchange. 96 participants engaged in 99 submitted thoughts that achieved 1,953 ratings. The following top three priorities emerged from this engagement:
- Additional child and youth worker (CWY) support required in schools to support primary students who have missed two-years of socialization due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Additional supports for students who are struggling with reading
- Additional support for student mental health as a result of anxieties developed from the COVID-19 pandemic
These key thoughts have been incorporated and reflected in the work identified through the 2022-23 budget process.
- Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic: To mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education is providing boards with time-limited access to the following funding:
- COVID-19 Learning Recovery Fund: to support learning recovery, year-1 of grade 9 de-streaming, delivery of remote learning, supports for special education and enhanced cleaning.
- Recent Immigrant Supplement: supports extraordinary decline in recent immigrant enrolment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Collective Bargaining: Effective August 31, 2022, the current collective agreements will expire. As a result, the Investment in System Priorities Fund is being provided in the 2022-23 budget on a time-limited basis.
- Investments in Special Education: $10.5M has been allocated for special education supports, equipment and services. At BGCDSB, one in every 46 students (1:46 ratio) has access to support from an educational assistant (EA). Supports that were previously provided through Priority and Partnership Funding (PPF) have now been moved into the Grants for Student Needs (GSN).
- Investments in Mental Health and Well-Being: $958K has been allocated to support and foster the learning and well-being of students. The funding will also provide support for our frontline mental health workers to provide direct services and improve access to critical services as well as continue to strengthen a positive school climate.
- Investment in Capital Projects: $6.2M in capital projects are planned for the 2022-23 fiscal year. 2023 will see near completion of the 4-childcare and 8-classroom addition at St, Anthony’s Catholic School in Kincardine. Additional investments in tech-related purchases; roofing upgrades; initiation of the multi-year bell and announcement system replacements across the board, and turf replacement at St. Joseph's, to name a few of the bigger projects.
- Key Investments and Supports: The board continues to provide funding support in the areas of: Indigenous education; equity and inclusion; pathways planning; core French for grades JK- 3 (Ministry funding only supports Core French in Grades 4 and above); adult faith formation and learning opportunities for our staff; a system-wide infusion of innovative STREAM activities (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, Math); late bussing and co-op bussing for students participating in extracurricular activities and co-op work placements; as well as many other exciting initiatives.
The support and feedback that we receive is a resource that is deeply valued by the board. We look forward to continuing the conversations and collaboration as the year progresses. For more information regarding the latest BGCDSB news, events and programs, please visit www.bgcdsb.org or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
To read the details of the 2022-2023 budget, visit our website at www.bgcdsb.org/22-23budget/
Key Highlights of 2022-2023 Budget:
Enrolment
- 3,127 Elementary Students (Average Daily Enrolment ADE)
- 1,573 Secondary Students (Average Daily Enrolment ADE)
- Total 4,700 Students (Average Daily Enrolment ADE)
Utilization
- Board Capacity %: 114.9%
Revenues
- Total Revenues $79,798,909 (Operating Revenue is 6.0% increase over 2021-22 Budget)
- Operating Revenue: $73,591,314
- Capital Revenue $6,207,595
Expenses
- Total Expenses $79,798,909 (Operating Expenses 6.0% increase over 2021-22 Budget)
- Operating Expenditures - $73,591,314
- Capital Expenditures - $6,207,595
- Operating Expenditures - % in relation to total Operating Expenditures:
- Instructional Expenses - 73.7%
- Administration Expenses - 4.8%
- Transportation Expenses - 6.8%
- Pupil Accommodation Expenses - 11.2%
- School Generated Fund Expenses – 2.6%
- Other Expenses - 1%
- Total Expenditures by Object - % in relation to total Operating Expenditures::
- Salaries and benefits – 74.3%
- Staff development - 0.4%
- Supplies and services – 8.3%
- Interest charges on capital - 0.4%
- Fees and contract services – 10.3%
- Other Expenses - 1%
- Amortization – 5%
Capital
- Total Capital Expenditures - $6,207,595
- 2022-23 capital investments include the following projects:
- Continuing with mobilization of the 8-classroom and 4-room childcare addition at St. Anthony’s Catholic school, Kincardine as Ministry approval to proceed to tender has been granted
- Initiating the planning phase of a new plan for the Owen Sound Catholic School community as Ministry approval has been granted for a new grade 9-grade 12 high school as well as childcare funding for additions at both St. Basil’s Catholic School, Owen Sound and Notre Dame Catholic School, Owen Sound
- School condition improvement upgrades, HVAC unit upgrades, roofing upgrades at Immaculate Conception Catholic School, Formosa and Sacred Heart Catholic School, Teeswater
- Turf replacement upgrades at St. Joseph’s Catholic School, Port Elgin
- Board wide technology initiatives such as bell and announcement system upgrades, technology refresh devices, security and disaster recovery enhancements, risk management planning, and software upgrades
Accumulated Surplus
- Total Accumulated Surplus (including land) - $11,306,808
- Available for compliance – Unappropriated - $2,008,316
- Available for compliance – Internally Appropriated - $6,704,113
- Unavailable for compliance – $2,594,379 (School Generated Funds & Land)
Staffing
- Total Staffing – 606 (increase of 8 FTE or 1.3% over 2021-22 Budget)