WEYBURN - The South East Cornerstone Public School Division's board gathered in Weyburn on Wednesday for its monthly meeting.
During a roundtable discussion at the opening of their business session on Dec. 20, SECPSD trustees spoke about Christmas concerts they had attended at some of the schools they represent and how entertaining they proved to be.
Chairwoman Audrey Trombley mentioned the board’s annual meeting with their regional MLAs and the minister of education. She noted the main topic that was discussed was that of the continuing budget struggles within the SECPSD structure as well as within the province.
Director of education Keith Keating brought members up to date on administrative procedures that are undergoing minor changes including accreditation of teachers, credits for students doing volunteer work and the new provincial flag protocols that require schools to fly the provincial flag on their grounds. He noted this may require additional flag poles or other construction moves to meet the fresh requirement at some schools
Chief financial officer Shelley Toth gave a brief summary of the division’s financial position in the first quarter. She noted that at this early stage, there weren’t many significant twists or changes to the report that weren’t anticipated.
She said that 40 per cent of the funds budgeted for asset additions have been spent with the only adjusted area being one projected for the purchase of school buses, where they are showing a figure over-budget. She said funds have been designated within the current surplus to cover that cost.
The early budget, she said, shows an upward adjustment in revenue of nearly $278,000 while all expenses are projected to be the same as what has been set in the budget, except for one overage of just over $31,000 for external services for a program designer at the Early Years Family Resource Centre in Estevan.
The SECPSD board members will gather for their first meeting of 2024 in the conference room at the division’s head office in Weyburn on Jan. 17, with the public portion of the session beginning at 1 p.m.
The public portion of these sessions is live-streamed if desired.
