Local school boards post balanced budgets for 2025/2026 school year

CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

After posting a $2 million deficit for this school year, the Avon Maitland District School Board (AMDSB) has successfully balanced the budget for next year.

“As shared in the prior year, one of our 2024/2025 goals was to undertake a fiscal review process, to ensure we are well positioned to continue to make data driven decisions that maximize our students’ learning experience,” Graham Shantz, director of education, wrote in his message that precedes the 2025/2026 budget. “… We are pleased to report that the result of this internally imposed fiscal review is a balanced operating budget for the 2025/2026 year.”

The board of trustees approved the balanced budget at its June 24 meeting. As it states, the board’s revenues are expected to equal $259,913,248 and its operating expenses are expected to equal $260,775,753, leaving an operating deficit of $862,505.

Cheri Carter, superintendent of corporate services and treasurer with the AMDSB, explained that school boards use a modified Public Sector Accounting Board (PSAB) standard for their financials.

“The Ministry's ‘for budget compliance’ calculation has us remove various accounting entries, specifically some surplus transfers,” Carter explained. “So from the Ministry's perspective, we are balanced while from a PSAB perspective we are in deficit … Without getting too much into details, examples of the items excluded from the budget compliance calculation includes asset retirement obligations valuation changes, surplus funded committed capital and interest accrual value change on Ministry funded loans.  All very much ‘accounting’ entries, with nil impact on our cash flow or operating income.”

Likewise, the Huron Perth Catholic District School Board (HPCDSB) posted a balanced 2025/2026 budget, after its board of trustees approved it at the June 23 meeting.

The 2025/2026 budget for the catholic board lists both a revenue and expenditures line of $85,889,896.

“Despite ongoing challenges, the board recognizes and commends the hard work of our superintendent of business, Mary-Ellen Ducharme, and her talented team,” Mary Helen Van Loon, chair of the board of trustees, said in a media release. “Their vision, diligence, and competence are truly exceptional, enabling us to consistently present a balanced budget year after year.”

“Our budget reflects the board’s unwavering dedication to presenting a financially responsible budget that champions student achievement and upholds the rich tradition of Catholic education,” Ducharme added.

For further information, readers can find the AMDSB’s budget at https://22.files.edl.io/ec80/06/24/25/164521-c121cbdd-5ce5-4377-9021-adf8d52d1f49.pdf.

The HPCDSB’s budget can be found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lFi-y9CiQRw9xxIYLzmCFObFuuDx0SoF/view.