Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Greater Victoria School Board Approves Plan for 2022-2023 Budget
VICTORIA, BC – At Monday night’s Board Meeting, the Board of Education approved the budget process for the 2022/2023 school year. The approved plan represents the Board’s commitment to working collaboratively and early in the process to gather information and input for the Board’s budget decision making.
Core to the Board this upcoming year was articulating its values at the outset of the process to guide its decision making and to provide a touchstone as the Board moves toward its approved budget in April 2022. Also new this year, a budget advisory committee will be formed. Membership will include all trustees, senior staff along with representatives from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association (GVTA), Victoria Principals and Vice Principals Association (VPVPA), Allied Specialist Association (ASA) and Victoria Parent Advisory Council (VCPAC).
The budget will be culturally respectful and responsive to the needs of Indigenous peoples and will include the Four Houses and the Indigenous Education Department within the Budget process. The Board and staff will utilize the Indigenous Education Department’s regularly scheduled meetings with the Songhees Nation, Esquimalt Nation, Urban Indigenous Peoples’ House Advisory (UPHIA) and the Métis Nation of Greater Victoria as the conduits to share information, consult, and seek input and direction.
Between November 2021 and April 2022, the District will be providing opportunities to connect students, staff, administrators, Indigenous Nations, parents and guardians, along with members of the public, to provide input and learn more about resource allocation. The District will host facilitated discussions, public meetings and a student symposium.
“Students are at the center of everything we do in the Greater Victoria School District. As we develop the budget for the upcoming school year, it is important that we align resources to set all students up for success and to support each student in reaching their greatest potential and future opportunities. We must recognize that all learners are unique and have varying needs,” said Board Chair, Ann Whiteaker. “At the same time, the Board is committed to the goals and strategies of the Strategic Plan, as well as the Framework for Enhancing Student Learning, when building its budget.”
The Board intends to approve its 2022-2023 budget in April 2022.
2022-2023 Budget Process Timeline:
- November 15 – Budget Advisory Committee Meeting #1
- November 18 – Talking Tables – Rightsholders and Stakeholders
- November 25 – Student Symposium or Student Led Forum
- December 7 – Budget Advisory Committee Meeting #2
- January 13 – Budget Advisory Committee Meeting #3
- February 8 – Budget Advisory Committee Meeting #4
- February 22 – Budget Advisory Committee Meeting #5
- March 8 – Budget Advisory Committee Meeting #6
- March 10 – Public Town Hall
- March 10-18 -Public Feedback Period
- April 4 – Special Budget Board Meeting
- April 7 – Special Budget Board Meeting – Approval
To learn more about the budget’s guiding principles, process and timelines visit: https://www.sd61.bc.ca/our-district/financial/
The Greater Victoria School District No. 61 is comprised of 48 schools that serve the communities of Esquimalt, Oak Bay, Victoria, View Royal, portions of Saanich and the Highlands, along with the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations, and the Urban Indigenous Peoples’ House Advisory (UPHIA) and the Métis Nations of Greater Victoria. School District No. 61 is proud to provide quality education for more than 20,000 students—including 1,000 international students from across the globe and over 650 adult learners.
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For more information contact:
Lisa McPhail
Communications & Community Engagement
Greater Victoria School District
Office: 250.475.4103
