With a significant decline in student enrolment, the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board is facing tough challenges to deliver a balanced budget.
Board officials will be reviewing all aspects of the upcoming 2013 and 2014 budget.
Officials say depending on provincial grants handed down to the board later this month, accommodation reviews and staff layoffs could be imminent.
They estimate a 4.7 per cent decline in enrolment at both the elementary and secondary school levels.
According to a report, by ministry standards, 47 per cent of Catholic schools in the Windsor and Essex County district are underutilized, using less than 85 per cent of the available space.
The superintendent of business says facilities and salaries take up a good chunk of the budget and that community input will be needed.
“We need to look at what our enrolment projects will be and start putting together alternatives to address any shortfalls we might have,” says Mario Iatonna, superintendent of business. “So it’s very important to put this out to the community because we want involvement in the budget process."
Updates will be presented to the school board in late April and the final budget is due for submission to the ministry of Education by June 30.
