WECDSB forecasts lower funding in 2014

By Taylor Busch

 

The 2014-15 budget for the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board is estimating a decline of 900 students in September and projects a loss of 1,000 students for the following year.

Researchers for the Catholic board announced the $6.3 million dollar loss in funding during the March meeting at the Windsor-Essex Catholic Education Centre in Windsor.  They also said the board is wasting $2.5 million yearly to maintain and heat unused classrooms in schools.  They suggested the board should close 10 average-sized elementary schools to eliminate this excess space and instead use the money to improve student achievement.

Paul Picard, the board’s director, said the main reason they continue to lose money is because of increasing benefits for staff and retirees.  In addition, he said the board is trying to avoid layoffs at this time and is instead focusing on working with individual schools to cut money from elective budgets to help decrease overall losses.

“You’re certainly never happy with declining enrolment, but declining enrolment is a reality,” said Picard.  “We’re all dealing with the same issue.  You have to respond appropriately to it and you do the best you can.”

The board’s latest plan is to merge Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School with St. Bernard Elementary School on the St. Bernard site in September.  Associate Director Cathy Geml said the merging schools have been given extra funds to help integrate the students and their parents.

“We are very impressed with the willingness of the communities to face the reality that we are facing,” said Picard.  “Some very creative suggestions and solutions have been brought forward that have caused us to do a rather significant amount of homework in order to deal with, what I think, will be reflected in the reports that will be made public next week.”

More than a dozen parents from St. Jules Catholic Elementary School attended the meeting and asked the board to consider merging the Lourdes, St. Bernard and St. Jules on the St. Jules site.

Parent Kelly Vandenberghe spoke on behalf of the St. Jules community.  She said they are concerned about the city’s new proposed fire station on the St. Bernard property and how it will affect their children if they are told to transfer there when St. Jules closes.

“The St. Bernard community just found out about the new fire hall plans and they are extremely upset,” said Vandenberghe.  “Student safety is most important and we have heard from some of the St. Bernard families already that they would prefer to be bussed away from a fire station location.”

The Catholic board said they will continue to monitor the unused portions of schools throughout May.  Currently, 11 other schools are undergoing accommodation reviews to determine their futures.  According to Chief Communications Officer Sherrilynn Colley-Vegh, Director Picard has recommended that St. Gregory Elementary School in Tecumseh merge with St. Pius X Elementary School.  Board trustees will decide the fate of St. Gregory on May 27 at the Catholic school board meeting.

Public meetings to discuss the schools in question will take place in Central Windsor on April 14 at Catholic Central Secondary School, in Riverside on April 15 at F.J. Brennan Secondary School and in Tecumseh on April 16 at St. Anne Secondary School.

The next Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board meeting will take place on April 22 at the Catholic Education Centre in Windsor.  Picard said the results of the public meetings will be announced then.