Dufferin-Peel trustees reject deficit management plan

At a special board meeting held Thursday night, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board trustees refused to make enough cuts to programs and services to satisfy terms, set out by the Ministry of Education, which required the board to produce a balanced budget within two years.

In rejecting a two-year deficit management plan recommended by Ministryappointed special advisor, Peter Lauwers, the board was unable to agree on sufficient cuts to meet the terms of reference it had agreed upon with the province in July.

Dufferin-Peel has been consistent in its position that underfunding is the root cause of its budget problem and that the government must step up and fix the flawed funding formula. This is a message that has resonated clearly with the Dufferin-Peel community.

"We have heard our parents, staff and community tell us for the past year that we should stand up to the government and not balance our budget on the backs of our students by cutting programs and services," said chair Peter Ferreira. "When it came time to vote, we heard those voices loud and clear."

Addressing a packed Catholic Education Centre audience of more than 450 parents, students and staff, Ferreira remarked; "This is what the minister does not understand that this is not a fight between the minister and a handful of trustees. It is a fight between the minister and tens of thousands of parents, teachers and staff, all of whom want to know when the government is going to live up to its promise to fix the funding formula."

The board's decision will be relayed to the Minister of Education who will determine the next steps available to the province. Options include further ministerial direction or the appointment of a supervisor to take control of the board.

"Neither of these options is palatable to trustees," said Ferreira. "We remain, however, committed to working collaboratively with the Ministry as long as the underfunding issue is realistically addressed as part of this process. And I don't mean the standard rhetoric that all boards have heard over the past year."

Dufferin-Peel is one of the largest school boards in the province with 89,000 students in 141 schools located in Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon and Orangeville. The board has a $16.6 million deficit on a $670 million operating budget for its 2006-07 fiscal year.