The Vancouver School Board will be holding a last-minute budget meeting on June 29, VSB chairman Mike Lombardi said Sunday.
Under provincial law, the VSB has until June 30 to pass a balanced budget. In April, trustees in Vancouver rejected a budget that would have meant cutting $24-million in staff and services. District staff has been proceeding to plan for next year based on the budget trustees rejected, but if the board doesn’t pass a balanced budget, it’s possible they could be fired by the provincial government and replaced by an official trustee.
Since April, some provincial funding has been freed up, but the board is still facing a $20-million-plus shortfall for next year. Lombardi said Sunday that discussions between himself and Education Minister Mike Bernier are ongoing.
Vancouver school district staff released a report last week naming 12 schools to be considered for closure in July 2017. The provincial government has been pressing the VSB to get its capacity utilization up for the past couple of years and Bernier has said the budget problems could be eased by closing schools.
Education Reporter
tsherlock@postmedia.com
