Public school board approves $509M operating budget

Published Jun 23, 2023 • 1 minute read

The Greater Essex County District School Board’s office in downtown Windsor is seen on Friday, June 16, 2023. Photo by Taylor Campbell /Windsor Star

The Greater Essex County District School Board has approved a $509.3-million operating budget for the 2023-24 school year.

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The approved spending represents an increase of roughly 4.7 per cent from the previous academic year.

The board also approved a capital budget pegged at $80.3 million

Budget highlights include:

• New investments in special education, including the addition of six Giving Attention to Individual Needs (GAINS) classrooms, four Skills to Enhance Personal Success (STEPS) classrooms, and an increase to the special education staffing complement of 70.5 positions.

• Continuing investments to support student success and well-being, equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and the GECDSB Anti-Black Racism strategy. This includes “create your future” counsellors, graduation coaches, a human rights and system equity advisor, a well-being teacher consultant, and SLGBTQ+ social worker.

• Continued commitment to ensuring healthy school environments.

• Alignment of staffing resources to meet the needs of students.

• Development and phased implementation of the GECDSB Climate Action Plan, focusing on the use of resources in environmentally sustainable manners.

• Designing new school construction and capital projects with energy efficiency as a priority.

The operating budget reflects a $4.4-million deficit that will be resolved with the board’s accumulated surplus, the board said.

tcampbell@postmedia.com

twitter.com/wstarcampbell