The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB) has approved a $375 million budget, along with a plan to balance their books over the next three years.
Officials say, last year the Board gathered an in-year deficit due to increased costs of special education needs.
The Board, along with the support of the Ministry of Education, has developed a multi-year financial recovery plan, which targets this deficit and an additional budgeted deficit for the 2025-26 school year.
According to school board officials, they are under a comprehensive third-party review of special education services with a goal of having options for long-term programming and financial stability. They expect recommendations from this review will aid in stability beyond the 2025-2026 school year.
The recovery plan approved by the Board will address a deficit of $7.1 million, by achieving the following cost-savings:
- $2.45 million in 2024-2025
- $1.37 million in 2025-2026
- $1.82 million in 2026-2027
- $1.46 million in 2027-2028
In order to significantly reduce operational costs, the Board will be terminating 23 full-time positions over three years. However, a large part of these cutbacks will be due to attrition, retirements, and position realignment.
“We are working collaboratively with the Ministry of Education and we feel that we have put forward a solid plan to return our board to a balanced situation,” said Board Chair Maria Hardie. “We are focusing efforts on essential programs and services that directly support student achievement and well-being. At the same time, we continue to appeal to the Ministry of Education to look at its funding model, especially for special education.”
Officials say the budget and recovery plan will be sent to the Ministry of Education for final approval by July 31.
