School district 27 trustees adopted a budget of $55,440,880 for the 2011/12 school year at their final meeting before summer break on Tuesday evening.
The budget represents an increase of $150,000 over the initial budget bylaw for 2011/12 of $55,290,880 that was given first and second reading at the June 2 board meeting.
The revised budget takes into account the cost of maintaining current teacher support for small rural schools such as Big Lake elementary school.
At its June meeting the board voted to maintain the status quo on staffing at Big Lake Elementary School despite falling enrolment numbers that would normally trigger a reduction in staff to meet provincial budget guidelines.
Big Lake elementary is projected to have 20 students in the fall and will run as a one-room school house with students from k-7 all in the same room. Limited teacher resources are supplemented with teacher assistant and library assistant time.
Likely elementary has 18 students and is also being run as a one room, k-7 school.
At the June 2 meeting secretary treasurer Bonnie Roller reported that the 2011/12 operating budget would come up short about $800,000 but the budget would be balanced according to Ministry of Education requirements using a projected surplus from the 2010/11 school year and funds from the district’s reserve fund.