Trustees with the Windsor Essex County District School Board approved a plan to balance its budget using its operating surplus.
The budget includes $322.2-million in spending for the next school year. Projected revenues are $319.9-million. That left the board with a $2.3-million deficit, in compliance with the Ministry of Education's criteria because it was less than one per cent of the operating allocation.
Trustees had two options. They picked the second, based on their feedback during their June 11 meeting. It added back staff positions, including two Child and Youth Workers, an itinerant teacher for the deaf, and another for the blind.
The original draft budget called for a deficit of 1.97-million.
"I think this new budget plan offers some excellent solutions to continue meeting the needs of our most vulnerable students while maintaining our commitment to being fiscally responsible stewards of our resources," said Chair of the Board Fulvio Valentinis.
Staffing accounts for 79 per cent of the board's budget. Salaries and benefits costs will increase to $253.6-million in the 2024-25 school year from $228.2-million.
Spending on special education will go up $5.6-million to 42-million.
An in-year deficit reduction plan would use $1.6-million from the operating surplus to fund post-retirement benefit amortization expenses while cutting $660,000 from the board's contingency provision.
Trustees base the budget on enrollment projections of 22,145 students, up 1,020 from the last school year. Adult student enrollment will go up by 165 for a total of 600.