SD33 enrolment continues to climb year after year, though a budget deficit of $500K may loom

The start of the 2021-22 school year saw the biggest jump in the four years Arul-pragasam shared during the meeting, when there were 13,813 students recorded on September 30, 2021, a jump of 469 students (3.5 per cent).

As of September 7 this year, SD33 topped the 14,000-student threshold with 14,083 pupils enrolled, an increase of 1.95 per cent over September 2021. These figures do not include continuing education or alternate education, Arul-pragasam told the board.

“I think we projected approximately 2 per cent of enrollment increase year after year,” Arul-pragam said. “It fluctuates from year to year. The average last probably seven years has been 2.5 per cent [growth per year] in Chilliwack, which is good.”

Arul-pragasam revealed that SD33 had budgeted and anticipated 14,763 full-time equivalents for the 2022-23 school year, which would include continuing education and alternate education arrangements. As of October 11, 2022, the district had budgeted for 14,830 FTEs, a deficit of 67.4, amounting to a potential deficit of approximately $500,000, Arul-pragasam told the board.

“That’s because the funding for students is around $7,800 [per student],” he said. “This is much better than the number that we had on September 13. As I always tell you, the month of September, students come, they transition through Chilliwack, given lots of other constraints, this is a good news story from our consideration given our projections and then also the numbers we saw in September.”

Trustee Willow Reichelt sought clarity around a potential deficit. “Just to clarify though, we are short $500,000 compared to our budget, so we are going to be looking at an amended budget that you’ll be telling us how we’re going to cut that money. Did our budget include a surplus before?”

Secretary-Treasurer Gerry Slykhuis, who is not heard or seen off-camera in response to Reichelt’s question, apparently indicated there was no prior budget surplus.

Trustee David Swankey said, “Just on that point… I’m just trying to figure out how the board is gonna track the implication of a lower than anticipated enrollment with the budget.”

Slykhuis advised Swankey, “We’ll show you what we had for the preliminary budget and then what caused changes to come up with the amended budget. This will be part of the change in the revenues.”

by Mike Vanden Bosch

SD33 enrolment continues to climb year after year, though a budget deficit of $500K may loom

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