Wednesday June 24 2015
The
Leader
SURREY BALANCES 2015-2016 SCHOOL BUDGET
▶ STRIKE SAVINGS, LAST YEAR’S CUTS HELP DISTRICT DODGE SHORTFALL SHEILA REYNOLDS
While last year was a painful one for the Surrey School District, trustees have balanced the preliminary operating budget for the coming school year without making any drastic cuts to staff, programs or student services. For the current year, the school district faced a shortfall of about $9 million and was forced to lay off staff, cut others’ hours and not fill vacated positions. Nearly 50 teachers who left were not replaced, meaning schools had to adhere much more strictly to class size restrictions this year. Trustee Shawn Wilson, chair of the Surrey Board of Education, says those cutbacks helped ease the pain in drafting the 2015-2016 budget. “The cuts we made last year, they carried on into the current year,” he said. “You take a bloodbath one year and then the following year, it’s a little bit easier.” Also making things more manageable, he said, was that the district was frugal earlier this year, unsure what dollars would be coming from the provincial government. ▶ “You take a With much financial uncertainty folbloodbath one lowing the teachers’ strike that put off the start of school and caused a delay in year and then the getting funding details from the province, following year, it’s the district tightened its belt and limited spending. a little bit easier.” TRUSTEE SHAWN WILSON
‘YOU DON’T NEED A MILLION’
▶ FRASER VALLEY HOUSING TOUTED AS AFFORDABLE FOR FAMILIES 3 Participants in a real estate forum held in Surrey on Thursday hosted by the Urban Development Institute heard about the widening gap between the prices of detached houses and either townhouses or condos in the Fraser Valley. EVAN SEAL
continued on page 7
GET READY FOR SUMMER
7599 King George Hwy. 7878 - 120 Street
13665 - 102 Avenue
NEWTON SCOTT RD WHALLEY 604-572-3739 604-591-3914 604-583-8473 NATIONWIDE PARTS & LABOUR WARRANTY
Summer Service $ 99* INCLUDES:
49
*most vehicles
• Oil Change • Brake Inspection • Tire Rotation • Fluid Top Up • Chassis Lubrication • 50 Point Visual Inspection