The final numbers are in, and wage increases for school support staff will cost the Burnaby school district a whopping $1.6 million.
The provincial government has instructed school districts across B.C. to find the money within existing budgets, as no new government funding is coming forward to cover the wage increases.
"Wage increases for support staff will be about $1.6 million a year once the increases are fully implemented," said the district's secretary-treasurer Greg Frank. "There's a phase in of increases, so when the full amount is totally implemented next fiscal year, the annual cost will be $1.6 million."
In September, the support workers (represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees) seemed on the verge of a strike, but a deal was struck, and the provincial government agreed to a 3.5 per cent wage increase over two years. The wage increases caused some controversy because the money is coming out of existing school district budgets - from districts that often complain of chronic government under-funding.
All B.C. school districts submitted savings plans to the government this month, and the Ministry of Education will look them over to make sure they fall within the cooperative gains mandate, which means the money must be found within their existing budgets to cover the wage increase without cutting services.
As for whether there would be cuts within the school district, Frank couldn't say what would be proposed.
School board chair Baljinder Narang explained the district is looking at cuts with minimal impact on classrooms.
“We’re looking at energy management, attendance support – so there is less costs for replacement staff,” she said, adding that casual clerical hours, reduction in supplies and services and increasing rental rates are other options.
