Catholic board to eliminate 18 teaching positions

Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board is reducing its complement of teachers by about 18 full-time equivalent positions said Board Superintendent of Business, Chris Spina, at a board meeting on Wednesday evening.

“Some have been covered through attrition,” said Spina.

“Some will be out of work. The total left that aren’t covered through attrition is about eight full-time equivalent teachers. Come September, it all depends on enrolment and whether we end up adding classes," he said. "We may be adding classes but we won’t know until September (whether something else could come up for those teachers).”

In response to declining enrolment, the board decided to reorganize classes for the 2012-2013 school year.

This resulted in the elimination of 13 elementary and five secondary school teaching positions.

That decision was also one of the factors that led to a projected budget surplus for the board.

The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board is looking at a surplus after accepting their 2012-13 budget in the final board meeting of the 2011-12 school year on Wednesday evening.

The annual budget is projecting an estimated surplus of $144,792, with hopes of having a closing balance of $356,192 come August of 2013.

“Obviously it’s going to help increase our cumulated surplus and help to increase our reserves,” said Spina, who added that the surplus has not been earmarked for a specific are as of yet.

Spina also said this is the first time in “at least five years” that the board has faced a budget surplus.