What's on the agenda? BSD Board of Trustees Regular Meeting - 2026-03-09

https://media.bsd.ca/media/Default/frf/march-9-2026.795e5625491.pdf

No recording this time. My tongue and my brain aren't connected today (can I blame it on DST?).

The highlights (as always, from my opinionated/subjective/personal perspective) below. All page numbers based on PDF numbering:

• Budget Deliberation Minutes

  • Preliminary budget increase of $7.4 million (page 11).

  • Every $1 million change in the budget reflects a 0.80% and 0.99% increase in taxes for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 years respectively (page 12).

  • Close to unanimous board agreement for all budget additions on top of preliminary totalling $1.8 million (pages 12-14).

    • $525 thousand to reinstate 5 FTE teachers and to repeat this addition over the next two years (to reinstate 15 teacher FTEs removed from last years budget).

    • $360 thousand in staffing for controlled/monitored access as well as a full hour of K-8 lunch supervision

    • $275 thousand for facility maintenance and adaptations.

  • School tax increase of 7.25% (page 14).

• Financial Budget Details (pages 40-44)

  • Cost per pupil up to $15,068 compared to last years budget ($14,140) (page 43).

  • 2027-2028 budget will start at a 4.12% increase (page 44).

• Brandon Conservatory Chorale Letter

  • Smartly written letter, essentially asking "we've taken care of the money, is substitute availability the final barrier and if not, what are the others?" (pages 17-18).

• Delegation/Presentation from Caregiver Advocates for Literay Equity regarding Universal Screening for Reading Difficulties. No slide deck or details included (page 2).

• February statistics for teacher and substitute availability (pages 21-22).

  • 15/19 days in February had one occurance of no substitutes available.

  • Mondays and Tuesdays have the lowest rates of "no substitute available"

  • Wednesdays through Fridays have the highest rates of "no substitute available"

• Finance and Facilities Committee Minutes

  • More details on enrolment increases at three schools (Betty Gibson, Earl Oxford, Valleyview) behind last meeting's late motion to request three new modular classrooms (pages 47-48).