DDSB Passes 2019-2020 Budget

Posted On Thursday July 04, 2019

At its 2019-2020 Draft Budget Meeting on Wednesday, June 26, 2019, the Durham District School Board (DDSB) approved the budget for the 2019-2020 school year which includes total expenses of $851,553,406. The consolidated budget was prepared in keeping with Public Sector Accounting Standards.

The 2019-2020 Budget may be found on our website or at the following link:
https://www.ddsb.ca/en/about-ddsb/budget-and-financial-statements.aspx

This budget accounts for approximately $900 million in operational and capital budgets for the 2019-2020 school year.

Despite much-publicized provincial funding cuts, the DDSB remains committed to providing quality programs to meet the needs of all students, while also improving student achievement and well-being. This requires strong stewardship of resources to meet these goals. This budget reflects the projected costs of the annual operation plan, and DDSB Trustees have made the difficult decision to use part of reserves to support staffing and priority programs such as Special Education.

Niki Lundquist, Chair of Education Finance, explains, “Constructing a budget is not only about assigning dollars, but more importantly, prioritizing needs. We are deeply concerned about government cuts and the direct ripple effect on all our students, including our most vulnerable, as well as the impact to staff.“

“With the new government funding model, a shortfall in our budget has occurred,” adds Board Chair Michael Barrett. “Given that funding from the provincial government has been reduced or eliminated in several key areas, such as Staffing, Attrition Funding, the Ontario Autism Program, and the end of Local Priority Funding, this has been a complicated process, which has created a shortfall for Boards across the Province.”

The Durham District School Board (DDSB) is responsible for public education in the rural settings of Uxbridge, Brock and Scugog Townships and the urban settings of Ajax, Whitby, Pickering and Oshawa. The DDSB employs over 6,900 teaching and educational services staff. With 133 elementary and secondary schools and learning centres, the DDSB accommodates more than 70,000 regular day students and thousands more who take advantage of a wide variety of continuing education and adult credit courses. More information can be found on the DDSB’s website at www.ddsb.ca. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DurhamDSB and YouTube at DurhamDSB.

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