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BACKGROUND
Delta School District staff and the Board of Trustees are committed to a thoughtful, strategic, and student-centred approach to balancing the budget each year. Budget decisions are influenced by the district’s Vision for 2030, Strategic Plan 2025-2028, Trustees’ Budget priorities and feedback from the annual budget consultation process. These elements shape decisions about programs, student supports, and daily operations with the aim of improving students’ education and well-being. A balanced budget is a stipulation of the School Act.
2025/26 BUDGET OVERVIEW
The Annual Operating Budget for 2025/26 is $203.103 million, a decrease of $1.421 million from the 2024/25 Amended Annual Operating Budget of $204.524 million.
Each year, the budget is developed based on estimated enrolment for the upcoming school year. The district anticipates 221 fewer students for the 2025/2026 school year, bringing the student enrolment total from 16,396 in the 2024/25 Amended Annual Operating Budget to 16,175 forecasted for the upcoming year. As a result, the draft budget has been developed on an anticipated decrease of 221 students. This estimated decrease in enrolment puts the district in Funding Protection, which is an additional amount to protect against any funding decline larger than 1.5% when compared to the previous year. Please note: The enrolment numbers are early estimates and may change. The final funding received will reflect the actual enrolment numbers reported once the 2025/26 school year has started. This means that unanticipated student growth will result in additional funds in the school district’s budget.
The district is projecting a shortfall in its Annual Operating Budget for 2025/26. At $188 thousand, the shortfall makes up approximately 0.1% of the 2025/26 budgeted operating expenses.
To balance the budget in the most sustainable and strategically effective way possible, the district will continue to adopt a budget balancing strategy based on the following themes:
- Ensuring that any proposed reductions have the least impact on students.
- Making decisions based on sound educational objectives and considerations.
- Decreasing program areas that have had limited impact on student success and wellbeing.
- Mitigating risk and ensuring long-term sustainability by reducing the reliance on Reserve funds.
- Navigating ongoing financial constraints to ensure a balanced budget.
Approximately 90% of the district’s operating costs are staffing related. As always, the district staffs schools and provides resources based on student needs, enrolment trends and in compliance with the district’s collective agreements.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND CHILD CARE FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT
The Ministry’s Funding Announcement on March 13 resulted in overall Operating Grant funding of $179.150 million for the Delta School District. The Per Pupil amounts included in the Operating Grant increased by 1.1%. However, this increase to the Operating Grant is not new or additional funding. Instead, it reflects the inclusion of the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for teachers and support staff, administrator increases and teacher Pro-D funding that were previously received by the district via a separate grant. In addition, the increase has not addressed the full impact of inflation and other costs, including increases to Employment Insurance (EI), WorkSafe, employee leave costs, and benefit rates.
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE BUDGET
School districts in B.C., including the Delta School District, continue to face significant financial uncertainties, including fluctuating student enrolment, rising inflation, and unavoidable cost increases, due to higher absence rates, and expenses relating to staffing, services and technology.
The recent volatility in immigration trends has made accurate school-aged enrolment difficult to predict. Like last year, the graduating Grade 12 cohort is larger than the anticipated incoming Kindergarten cohort resulting in a predicted decrease in overall student enrolment for the upcoming school year. In addition to the overall decrease in student enrolment, the number of Inclusive Learning students is estimated to decrease by 118 FTE, and the number of Indigenous students and English Language Learners (ELL) is estimated to decrease by 71 FTE compared to the 2024-2025 Amended Annual Operating Budget. Please note: As mentioned previously, the enrolment numbers are early estimates and may change. The final funding the district receives from the Ministry, including supplemental funding for Inclusive Learning, Indigenous and ELL students, will reflect actual enrolment once the 2025/26 school year starts.
Work absenteeism due to illness remains high across Canada. Since the pandemic, people are more likely to stay home from work if they feel unwell to avoid spreading their illness to others in their workplace. As a result, the district continues to budget for increased illness costs and remains committed to proactively supporting staff health and wellness.
Another ongoing reality for the district is that the net revenue generated by the International Student Program (ISP) is lower than before. Despite strong enrolment, operational and logistical costs have continued to rise significantly. The district has increased ISP fees for the coming years to help address these costs but must also consider what the market will bear. Consequently, the district must take a cautious approach to ISP revenue and will not overly rely on it to supplement Ministry funding.
Investment rates and the amount of funding the district has available to invest have changed significantly over the years. Although the district has seen higher investment income in the last couple of years, interest rates are now trending lower, which reduces investment income. It is clear this source of funding cannot be relied on consistently to help balance the budget.
Last year, district departments were asked to build a budget from scratch rather than taking the previous approach of trimming their current budget. This zero-based budgeting approach prioritizes important initiatives supporting the district’s strategic objectives and Vision for 2030. The budget was also restructured to incorporate inflationary increases, reflect cost efficiencies and address key areas of risk. The district has adopted the same approach to the budget this year.
THE 2025/26 BUDGET SHORTFALL COMPOSITION
There is a preliminary shortfall of $188 thousand. The key drivers of this shortfall include, but are not limited to:
- Unfunded wage and benefit increases1
- Unavoidable inflationary increases and other non-salary related cost pressures2
- Illness cost increases
- Decrease in investment income
This year’s shortfall is the result of the district’s commitment to a rigorous strategic budgeting approach in alignment with current economic circumstances. There continues to be more budgetary needs than funding available. As a result, the district is required to make some difficult decisions regarding which resources, programs and initiatives to include in the budget each year.
1The Ministry funding is not sufficient to cover all staffing changes or certain increases such as extended health and dental, enhanced Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance and WorkSafe.
2For example, utilities, bussing, International Student Program agent commissions, and other miscellaneous costs.
2025/26 BUDGET BALANCING APPROACH AND RECOMMENDATIONS
As in previous years, the district is recommending a budget strategy that ensures the proposed changes have the least possible negative impact on students and classrooms. This means implementing strategic balancing initiatives to address the $188 thousand shortfall that will ensure the continued proportionality of staffing, safeguard the sustainability of ongoing important initiatives that were previously funded from Reserve funds, and enable the district to operate in the most cost-effective manner possible. As a result, the balancing initiatives contain both budgetary savings and additional costs.
As always, the district is committed to fully funding its operations without undue reliance on uncertain funding sources.
Balancing Initiatives
Budgetary Savings – $1.395 million
- A reduction in Facilities and School Board Office costs due to unused services and supplies, mainly from utilities savings [$112 thousand]
- A reduction of 1 Full Time Equivalent [FTE] in Facilities. This position is currently unfilled so no job loss will occur as a result [$72 thousand]
- Transfer the cost of the Coordinators of Inquiry (COI) Initiative to Reserve funds. The Initiative, which provides a few hours a week for Teacher Coordinators to work alongside staff in their school around a specific area of focus to help improve student learning and/or teacher practice, has been an integral part of the district and its inquiry mindset for many years. While district staff assess how to maximize its effectiveness moving forward, it makes sense to fund the COI Initiative from one-time Reserve dollars next year, as this will free up operating budget dollars for strategic initiatives [$455 thousand]
- A reallocation of funding for 3.95 vacant contingency teacher positions will result in savings without causing any job losses. Over the last four years, the district has received Classroom Enhancement Funding (CEF) resulting in increased capacity and support in classrooms. As a result, the reallocation of this funding will help reduce other budgetary pressures without impacting actual staffing levels [$530 thousand]
- Restructuring in Continuing Education will create efficiencies and enable a reduction of 0.5 FTE clerical support. This position was scheduled to end on June 30 already, so no job loss will occur as a result [$44 thousand]
- There are residual savings from the transition away from discontinued programs such as Farm Roots and Academies [$141 thousand]
- Hold District Day, the district-wide Pro-D event, every three years instead of every other year [$25 thousand]
- Adjusting a 12-month Inclusive Learning clerical position to a 10-month position will save money while also aligning more closely with the department’s needs and assisting with employee recruitment and retention [$16 thousand]
Additional Costs – $1.207 million
- Increase IT staffing to adequately support learning systems (for example, educational technologies and platforms used for teaching and learning) and address growing concerns about privacy, security and cybercrime, particularly in relation to student data [$253 thousand]
- The majority of feedback received through the budget engagement process prioritized the need for more Inclusive Education support in classrooms. Additional funding for Inclusive Learning will provide more staffing and other resources to help meet students’ needs [$191 thousand]
- Fund two full-time on-call clerical itinerant staff from the operating budget to ensure schools have access to additional reliable, trained clerical support when needed. This will reduce financial pressure on schools that previously paid for such occasional support from their own budgets [$147 thousand]
- An increase to school budgets will help address inflationary pressures and the higher costs of learning resources and supplies for students. This is important because school budgets have not increased for several years [$50 thousand]
- An addition of 0.9 FTE Vice Principal (VP) administrator time, split across 8 of the district’s elementary schools. This will enable administrators to provide extra support to students and school staff. Additional VP administrator time will also support professional growth for VPs which, in turn, will assist with administrator recruitment, retention and succession planning at the district level [$119 thousand]
- Transfer the associated costs of the MyEd program, the province’s secure online portal used by school districts and families for accessing and managing student educational information, from Reserve funds to the operating budget to ensure ongoing, dedicated support for this important resource [$243 thousand]
- Transfer the cost of 1 FTE for Emergency Preparedness from Reserve funds to the operating budget due to the ongoing need for this expertise [$124 thousand]
- Transfer the cost for 0.5 FTE of Peer Support from Reserve funds to the operating budget to ensure the sustainability of this role [$80 thousand]
COMMENTARY
“High inflation and significant increases to unavoidable costs, such as technology and cybersecurity measures and leave-related expenses, combined with reductions and uncertainties in revenue sources, have put a great deal of pressure on our budget. Our long-term strategy includes identifying budget reductions, ensuring the sustainability of prior Reserve-funded initiatives by incorporating them into the operating budget, and addressing ever-increasing technology needs and risks. At the same time, we strive to maximize the value of our Reserve dollars by prioritizing key strategic areas such as support for Inclusive Learning.
This year, we gathered feedback via an online survey, as well as through the more traditional channels of email, mail and schools’ Parent Advisory Councils. We received more than 150 responses through the online survey, which again highlighted support for Inclusive Learning as the top priority. In addition, we met with key rights-holders and stakeholders including the Delta Teachers’ Association, CUPE Local 1091, the Delta Principals and Vice Principals Association and Tsawwassen First Nation. We have taken all this feedback into consideration while building this year’s budget and thank everyone who took the time to share their priorities with us.
The public now has an additional opportunity to provide feedback on these Budget Recommendations. The Delta Board of Education invites you to attend the Public Board Meeting on April 22 to share your thoughts or, alternatively, to respond by email or online survey.”
Nicola Christ, Secretary Treasurer
Delta School District
The Delta School District is committed to being an innovative, inclusive community where all learners belong and everyone soars.
Its mission is to inspire and nurture thriving, future-ready learners.
PUBLIC INPUT
Members of the public are asked to provide their input and feedback on the 2025/2026 Budget Recommendations. Options for providing feedback include:
- Attending and speaking* at the Budget Input Public Meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at the School Board Office, 4585 Harvest Drive, Delta.
- Sending an email to budget@deltaschools.ca by noon on Monday, April 21, 2025.
- Completing the online survey (https://forms.gle/VBHHCD2kjakfcJz86) by noon on Monday, April 21, 2025.
*To sign up to speak at the meeting, please email kaquino@deltaschools.ca by noon on Monday, April 21, 2025.
For more information on the feedback received through Phase 1 of the Budget Input Process, as well as an overview of the district’s Budget, Supplemental Funding and Reserve Funds, please review this handout: https://www.deltasd.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Delta-Budget-Handout-2025.pdf
The Delta Board of Education will consider all feedback received on the draft budget recommendations before amending and/or approving the budget for 2025/2026. For more information on the budget process, please visit: https://www.deltasd.bc.ca/news-events/news/2025-2026-budget-consultation-process/