Features of the UGDSB 2017-18 school year budget
MEDIA RELEASE
June 28, 2017
GUELPH, Ontario – The Upper Grand District School Board has passed the 2017-18 school year budget.
The budget is balanced and compliant with Ministry requirements. Trustees approved an Operating Budget of $388,474,690.
The 2017-18 Grants for Student Needs (GSN) were announced by the Ministry of Education on April 12, as were a number of the Education Program – Other (EPO) grants. Funding is included to support the centrally negotiated labour extension agreements as well as funding to keep up with increased transportation and utility costs.
In order to support centrally negotiated labour agreements, the following funding enhancements will be included in the GSN: a 1.5% salary benchmark increase; funding for a one-time payment in 2017-18 for professional development; local priorities funding, including more staffing support for special education students; and class size investments for full-day kindergarten and grades 4 to 8.
The UGDSB enrolment projections for 2017-18 indicate growth in the elementary panel. Enrolment projections in secondary continue to decline, however International Students – who are not included in Ministry funding calculations – offset this decline. Since many grants are based on number of students, the board’s projected higher enrolment for 2017-18 has a positive impact on most grants received.
Elementary staffing increases by 37.9 FTE due to increases in enrolment, reduction in class size for Junior/Intermediate classes and the implementation of the Labour Framework Extension Agreements, which include the addition of 7.3 Special Education Resource Teachers and 3.0 Elementary Itinerant ESL teachers. The implementation of the labour extension agreements includes the addition of 13.5 FTE Educational Assistants.
Secondary staffing increases by 12.84 FTE, including 6 FTE due to the implementation of labour extension agreements and 3.66 FTE increase related to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Guelph CVI.
Additional supports: The budget also adds a Speech and Language Pathologist, Psychological Consultant, 0.3 FTE Communication Disorder Assistant, IT support and an ASD Facilitator to assist students with special needs. The extension agreement implementation includes the addition of 1.6 FTE Child and Youth Counsellors, 1.0 IT Support Technician and 1.0 Social Worker.
There are no changes in Board Administration FTE. School Operations staffing includes an increase of 6.0 FTE custodial positions as a result of the labour extension agreements. There is also increased support in the Capital/Renewal department.
The UGDSB budget includes $100,000 in proposed spending to assist children who cannot afford to participate in programs or activities, and maintains funding for transporting rural students to sports events and school groups to provincial or international competitions. The board has added a 1.0 FTE for an Equity Curriculum Lead.
Funding has been allocated in the 7-12 Student Success budget to fund small projects that are innovative in nature or are related to a change in practice. In the K-6 area, funding for programs that involve parents/guardians in their children’s reading, such as Time2Read and Read4Success, will continue.
In addition to the one-time payment in 2017-18 for professional development (PD), the UGDSB budget includes additional PD in the areas of Indigenous Education, new teacher training, curriculum, Special Education and non-teaching staff.
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For more information:
Heather Loney, Communications and Community Engagement Officer
Upper Grand District School Board
519-822-4420 ext.725
[email protected]
Megan Sicoli, Administrative Officer, Communications
Upper Grand District School Board
519-822-4420 ext.764
[email protected]
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