Public school budget confirms teacher cuts

Trustees with the Calgary Board of Education have approved an operating budget with a $10 million deficit and job cuts.

The financial plan for 2010-11 confirms the loss of 192 full-time teaching and 85 support positions this fall.

After factoring in retirements and resignations, the jobs of 169 probationary teachers who are in their first year of the profession are in limbo. Board chair Pat Cochrane said final numbers won't be clear until closer to September.

The financial crunch comes after a freeze on provincial funding and a negotiated wage raise for teachers.

The board is using up its reserve fund of $19.1 million to help cover the $1 billion operating budget for the upcoming school year, but that still leaves the public school system with a $10 million deficit. And the tally is expected to grow.

"It will move to at least $35 million in 2011-12. I think that's a certainty," said the board's director of finance, Wayne Braun.

7 years to pay back last deficit

Trustees said they are disappointed that they were put into this position and are concerned about the future at a meeting on Tuesday evening.

"[It]means huge disruption to our staffing, which means huge disruption to our children and our classes," said Cochrane.

Some trustees called on the province to change its funding direction, adding that they're tired of educationhaving to relyon the price of oil and gas.

The operating budget is subject to deficit approval by Alberta's education minister. Dave Hancock has already stated he's comfortable with boards running deficits.

The CBE employs about 5,000 teachers.

The last time CBE ran a deficit was for the 1999-2000 school year; it took the board seven years to pay it back.