BROCKVILLE – While the Upper Canada District School Board was able to make improvements through the year, the board has finished the school year nearly a quarter million dollars in the red.
In a report to trustees Wednesday night, Superintendent of Business Nancy Barkley presented the latest financial forecast to the board.
In January, the board was facing an in-year deficit of $2.4 million, but that has been improved in six months to $209,880.
Those gains were made despite losing school enrollment through latter part of the school year, particularly in high school, adult and continuing education, and the funding associated with those students.
Elementary enrollment was unchanged.
The board’s financial statements are due to the Ontario government by November 15, 2016.
The deficit will be covered by an accumulated surplus and is acceptable by provincial standards because the deficit falls within one per cent of the board’s $347 million budget.
The board’s $345 million budget for the 2016-2017 school year, which has an operating surplus of $913,000, created waves in the community because of cuts to teachers and reductions of hours educational assistants.