Special Board Meeting

Summary

• Draft 2026-27 Financial Plan presented (for trustee questions; formal adoption scheduled for April 29, 2026):
  • Operating budget is balanced at $680 million in both revenue and expenditure.
  • Provincial grants make up 92.8% of operating revenue; salaries and benefits account for 91% of spending.
  • Enrollment projected to fall by 332 FTE students to 51,859, primarily due to changes in federal immigration policy reducing newcomer arrivals.
  • No increase in per-pupil provincial funding rates; no provincial funding announced to offset inflation.
  • Labor settlement funding of $29.6 million is included as an estimate, pending official announcement.
  • International student tuition revenue projected to drop by $5.15 million, reflecting an estimated 298 fewer FTE international students.
• Staffing changes in the draft budget:
  • Net increase of 23 FTE student support assistants (SSAs), achieved by adding 20 enrollment-driven positions and reallocating 3 positions from two district secondary self-contained programs (social development programs at Britannia and David Thompson secondary schools).
  • Three elementary self-contained programs being wound down: CORE program at Trudeau, and EXCEL programs at Franklin and Beaconsfield; students to be supported in inclusive neighbourhood school settings instead.
  • 2.0 FTE district learning services staff reduced; 1.5 fewer average substitute teacher days per teacher budgeted, saving $2.48 million (linked to attendance management work).
  • 11.8 FTE teacher blocks reduced in the international education program reflecting lower enrollment.
  • Early learning and childcare team restructured to 1.0 FTE manager (continuing) and 1.0 FTE support staff (new, ~$97,590 including benefits), funded within existing grant envelope.
• Services and supplies reduced by $7.36 million by removing one-time costs from the prior year budget (e.g., legal costs, school budget balance carry-forwards); partially offset by $610,000 in contractual/rate increases, including major software licensing renewals for Microsoft and Oracle/PeopleSoft products.
• Print shop to discontinue external services effective July 1, 2026; transition to internal-only model saves an estimated $70,000 and avoids approximately $70,000 in capital costs for equipment replacement.
• Vancouver Project Office (VPO) budget approach revised: $800,000 of staff salaries moved to the operating fund, offset by cost-recovery revenue from other BC school districts the VPO manages capital projects for.
• Capital fund: Budgeted deficit of $1.63 million, which is within the permitted limit (amortization of capital assets exceeds amortization of deferred capital revenue by $7.99 million). The Ministry of Education did not approve any of the major capital projects submitted by VSB in June (new schools, additions, seismic mitigation).
• Inclusive education: Total inclusive education spending of $137.78 million exceeds provincial supplemental funding by $43.2 million, a gap covered by the operating fund; number of students in Level 2 funding category is rising, consistent with a province-wide trend.
• Indigenous Education Council (IEC): New legislative requirement in effect; IEC (with Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations) must approve allocation of Indigenous targeted funds; a meeting was scheduled that week to continue this work.
• Key financial risks identified: Enrollment variance (confirmed in September), unconfirmed labor settlement funding, substitute teacher cost variability, software/utility cost inflation, and an ongoing structural deficit related to unfunded infrastructure maintenance needs. Operating contingency sits at $6.09 million; local capital contingency at $3.72 million.
• Remaining public engagement opportunities: Finance and Personnel Committee (April 8), Committee of the Whole (April 13), public delegation meeting (April 15), written submissions accepted until April 16 at 4 p.m., trustee amendment meeting (April 20), and final budget adoption (April 29).