The Hastings Prince Edward District School Board says it will have to trim more than $4 million from its budget in the coming weeks.
The board, which oversees North Hastings region schools, says it’s required to pass a balanced budget by the end of June. So, it will have to find savings quickly.
Officials say many issues are causing a tough budget year, including inflation. They also say, for the past three years, the Ministry of Education has provided boards with extra funding to cope with COVID, including $2.5 million for the current school year that’s supporting 27 employees, including mental health workers.
However, that funding has been entirely removed from the provincial budget.
Superintendent of Business Services Nick Pfeiffer says it’s the “toughest budget year” he can recall and “it’s going to be very challenging to present a balanced budget.”