Grand Erie Trustees Approve 2019-20 Budget; Board on Track to Successfully Complete Multi-Year Financial Recovery Plan

Brantford Ont. – Grand Erie District School Board Trustees approved the operating and capital budgets for the 2019-20 school year at tonight’s Regular Board Meeting.

“Every day, in every decision we make, our main focus is our students,” said Board Chair Greg Anderson. “At a challenging and difficult time for all school boards in Ontario, we achieved a balanced budget without having to draw on reserves, we successfully delivered on our promise to complete the financial recovery plan on time, and we kept the indicators of our Multi-Year Plan, Success for Every Student, at the forefront of our decision-making process.”

Grand Erie was able to balance its 2019-20 budget despite an overall reduction in funding. The Board is also on track to complete its Ministry-imposed Multi-Year Financial Recovery Plan in August 2019. In achieving both goals, the Board never lost sight of its number one priority: students.

Grand Erie’s total operating budget for 2019-20 is $321,672,098. This is a decrease of 1.54 per cent or $5,037,381 from 2018-19. Impacts on Grand Erie’s 2019-20 budget include: The Ministry of Education’s New Vision for Education, which features changes to both elementary and secondary class-size averages as well as delays in the announcement of funding initiatives known as the Priorities and Partnerships Fund. Grand Erie is further impacted by declining enrolment and the end of Local Priority Funding, which expires August 31, 2019.

“We’re very proud of the work we’ve done on this budget,” said Anderson. “We’ve all worked together to exercise caution and find solutions. With every difficult decision, we’ve tried to insulate our students from the impacts. We’ve also protected funding and invested in programs and initiatives that directly support our students including those focused on equity and inclusion, well-being, technology, achievement, community and environment.”

Grand Erie’s 2019-20 budget features a significant investment in Special Education, with expenditures that far exceed the revenues the Board receives through funding. The additional $1.1 million invested by the Board will support the achievement and well-being of Grand Erie students in Special Education.

“As we’ve navigated this year’s budget process, we’ve tried to be as open as we can about our 2019-20 staffing,” said Anderson. “This is a time for transparency. Our students, our staff, and our community expect the facts; and, they understand the realities we’re facing. Changes to elementary and secondary class sizes lead to reduced funding. The bigger the board, the larger the impact. These changes, combined with a reduction in other grants, declining enrolment and the end of Local Priority Funding has resulted in some teaching staff reductions at our board.”

In April 2019, Grand Erie announced 84 secondary and 21 elementary teachers were declared redundant, meaning they don’t have a job with the board in the fall. Those numbers have since been reduced to 55 secondary and 16 elementary teachers.

“No one wants to see any Grand Erie employee lose their job,” said Anderson. “But, this is a challenging time for education. As elected officials, we have an obligation to make the most efficient use of public money, while also advocating for every resource we can for students in our communities. We firmly believe we’ve accomplished that with this budget. We’re also confident Grand Erie continues to deliver the best possible education experience for students because of the wide range of opportunities we can provide through 58 elementary and 14 secondary schools as well as our leadership when it comes to equity and inclusion.”

The total capital budget for Grand Erie in 2019-20 is $30,851,250. This includes funds allocated from the School Condition Improvement Grant, the School Renewal Allocation, Capital Priorities funding and Child and Family Program Capital.

Total projected Average Daily Enrolment (ADE) for Grand Erie in 2019-20 is expected to be 25,832, a decrease of 291 students from actual 2018-19 enrolment (26,123). Elementary ADE is estimated to be 17,995, while secondary ADE is projected to be 7,837.

For more information on Grand Erie’s 2019-20 Budget, see the Budget Approval Report (pages 34-39) here: https://bit.ly/2N0jSVx.

Woodman Girls Earn Wrestling Pennant

Woodman/Echo Place Wrestling Club was successful at the Brant Schools Wrestling Tournament held Thursday, May 8 at W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind.

There were 26 wrestlers between the two schools that regularly practiced Wednesdays after school with Principal Greg Rowe. That practice must have paid off as 22 wrestlers received medals. Congratulations to the team who earned 5 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 4 bronze medals.

The girls’ team were the Girls’ Wrestling Champions and received a pennant. The Boys’ Wrestling team came in 2nd to a team from Banbury. Congratulations to the following team members: Dalton V., Jason L., Hunter W., Kavin G., Jarrett N., Ty H., Josh M., Juron L., Cole W., Gavin S., Simon H., Isaac C., Aaron B., Jude S., Tessa F., Kadyn J., Brittany B., Chloe S., Erin G., Hayle B., Avery M., Delana N., Thomas C., Justice H., Ryan J., and Marisa C.

Thanks to Principal Greg Rowe for coaching the team!

Badminton Tournament Results

On April 24th, the badminton team from Woodman went to the tournament at Pauline Johnson High School. This tournament had double elimination, so that if you lost 2 games, you were out of the tournament. The team had been for over a month now. Our coaches were Mr. Salter and Mr. Ellis. They decided which players would play singles, doubles, or mixed doubles. Teaghan and John, and Maggie and Hunter were picked to play as Mixed Doubles. Boys' Doubles were Parker, Zack, Jasanpreet, and Evan. Girls' Doubles were Mia and Jade, and Madison and Mindy. Single players were Megan, Arpun, Erica, Justice, and Jason. They also had Delana and Trista as the leaders in badminton for when they enter into grade 8 next year.

This year could be Woodman's record for the most teams that were in the top 5 and teams that placed in the top third or higher. Maggie and Hunter came first in Mixed Doubles, playing 4 games. They lost only 1 game in the finals for best 2 out of 3! Erica who was playing Girls' Singles also came in first! Mia and Jade also came first in Girls' Doubles with no losses. People who placed third were Teaghan, John, and Justice. All the people in third place that were playing for second had a tight game with their opponent. Justice for example was playing in Boys' Singles. He won 1 game and lost 2 in his final game. Both games he lost were only 5 points or less to his opponent. Woodman and Echo Place's teams did great this year!

A big thanks to Mr. Salter and Mr. Ellis for taking their time to have practices for the team. Also a big thanks to Mrs. Hearn for helping out with the tournament.

Chess Club News

This spring we held two very successful chess tournaments for the intermediate and junior players from Woodman and Echo Place Schools. We were then able to send a team to the Intermediate Tournament at King George School on April 2nd; Simon, Maggie, Jayd, Maia, Josh and Joe represented us well, showing that we are a team to watch out for in the future. On April 16th our Junior team consisting of Kenny, Jude, Jasper, Kavan, Ajay and Andy went to St George and placed 4th overall. A great wrap-up to our Friday afternoon chess club.

Mrs. Penny Wyatt, Chess Club Supervisor

Woodman Owns the Podium at Canada Skills Competition

On March 5th, two groups of students, along with teacher supervisor, Mr. Greg Salter, traveled to Waterloo to once again compete in the Canada Skills Competition. Last year, at this same event, Woodman came home with the provincial gold medal. Will they do the same again this year, was the question....This year, Woodman, successfully sent two boats to the competition. Once again, Woodman reigned supreme and finished not only in gold, but silver as well. Congratulations to the following medalists!

I've asked one of the participants, Mindy P., to write about the experience. Here is her account:

The grade 8 students from Woodman participated in the Ontario cardboard boat contest. To build a boat they had limited supplies (1 roll of duct tape, 2 8x4 ft cardboard sheets, and measuring utensils). The first time the grade 8 students built a boat was with the whole class. At Wayne Gretzky they raced against schools in Brantford. Jason got Woodman’s record for the fastest speed with 16 seconds!

A few weeks later and 8 grade 8’s were going to Guelph to compete with schools in Southern Ontario. Team number 34 consisted of Justice, Mindy, Alexis and Teaghan. Team number 21 had Kendra, Maggie, John and Hunter. The rules at Guelph were that all teams had 2 hours to make their boat and decorate if desired. One rule about the racing was that only 1 or 2 members could paddle. Team number 34 had Justice and Teaghan paddling, and team number 21 had Maggie paddling. The only new material that was introduced was special glue that bonds cardboard together. Although there were rules with the glue such as it cannot be visible. Both Woodman teams were able to finish on time with enough time to decorate and spare. Team number 34 made their boat a Christmas theme and team number 21 made their boat as Poseidon, a Greek god. Woodman left with a gold medal and a silver medal. The silver medal winners were team number 21 they raced their boat in 25 seconds and held 720 pounds! They were the winners for the most weight and collected 86.50 points out of 100. Team number 34 took the gold medal home and raced their boat in 22.72 seconds and held 475 pounds! This team had the fastest time and had 95 points in the end!

A month later and Woodman’s teams were advancing to the provincials. Rules were the same, but team numbers were different. Team number 2 had Kendra, Maggie, John and Hunter. Team number 13 was composed of Justice, Mindy, Alexis and Teaghan. This time team 2 decorated their boat as a Viking boat, and team number 13 continued with their previous Christmas theme. Also the paddlers for team number 13 were Teaghan and Justice and team number 2 had Maggie and Hunter. The most satisfying part of the provincials was that Woodman won silver and gold again! Team number 2 raced in 23.56 and could hold 6 students altogether weighing 720 pounds and finished with 82.25 points out of 100. Team number 2 paddled the boat in 21.81 seconds and held 578 pounds, this team earned 86 points. Woodman School has once again won gold in provincials and improved with silver as well!

Woodman Snack Program

The Morning Snack Program at Woodman-Cainsville School is running well; children are offered a healthy snack featuring three food groups every morning, thanks to our many volunteers and community partners. Our amazing shopper is Ms. Dean and the food is delivered on a weekly basis. A special thank you to our parent volunteer, Ms. Jessica Hearns, who is in charge of the "chop crew".

Student volunteers Trena McAuley-Allen, Nick Radmore, Josh Barnett, Rhianna Foster, Sklyar Potts, and Kadyn Jenkinson have all been working to get the food ready for the bins and the bins ready for the classes. Thanks to all of them!

Editor's Note: A big thanks to Mrs. Wyatt, Mrs. Barrieau and Mrs. Johnson who coordinate the student volunteers every morning before school and who get the bins ready after school. We thank them for their commitment to this service to the students of Woodman-Cainsville Public School.

New Student Information System Update for Parents

Dear Parents/Guardians of returning students,

As we enter the school year, parents/guardians may be interested to learn that Grand Erie District School Board has migrated to a new Student Information System. This new software enables school and Board staff to manage student information more effectively.

Through the registration process, parents/guardians are able to review the information previously collected by your child’s school. Some fields in the new student information form are blank for you to complete, giving you the opportunity to ensure that we have the most current information in the new system.

Grand Erie District School Board is committed to the privacy and protection of your child’s information by keeping accurate and relevant records. The collection of student and family information is necessary to provide an educational program for your child and to ensure a safe school environment for all students.

We appreciate your time providing information to ensure that our records are complete and accurate. For more information or concerns, please contact your school secretary or Principal.

Sincerely,

David Abbey

Assistant Superintendent of Education

Yellow Day in Support of The Canadian Cancer Society

Friday April 17th is Yellow Day at Woodman! Students will be wearing yellow and decorating daffodils to build a garden of hope on our stage. They can place their own name or the name of a person they wish to honour on their flower. Students can bring a $2 donation. The Canadian Cancer Society will issue receipts for anyone who wishes to donate $10.00 or more. We are very proud of our Grade 8 heroes Meagan, Stacey and Vanessa for volunteering to lead this initiative. Woodman was the first (and still the only) elementary school in the board to accept the challenge.