Trustees of the Greater Essex County District School Board have unanimously approved the 2018-19 budget.
A special meeting was held Tuesday to finalize the $534-million document.
Superintendent of Business Cathy Lynd characterized the operating budget of $459,676,635 plus a capital budget of $75,223,235 as “a good news budget” with “no significant changes” from the previous year.
Spending increases over the 2017-18 school year account for the hiring of new staff. 54 new teaching positions, 8 Early Childhood Educators and 29 Educational Assistants have been added for next year.
The GECDSB is projecting enrolment increases for 2018-19 of nearly 700 students -- 482 elementary students and 217 secondary students.
Board chairperson Kim McKinley hopes the balanced books send a good message to parents considering where to enroll their kids in school.
"I would encourage any family to be a part of our board," says McKinley. "We try to do great things for our students and having a balanced budget enables us to do a little more that way."
