The Budget Process
The TDSB’s annual operating budget is approximately
$3.4 billion and we are committed to using these resources as responsibly and
effectively as possible. However, the funding provided by the government does
not fully meet the needs of students in Toronto. In the spring of each year,
the Ministry of Education announces revisions to education funding (Grants for
Student Needs) and the amounts that school boards will receive for the coming
year. Funding for education is determined through a set of provincial benchmark
costs for the major components of education operations, as well as the number
of students. TDSB Trustees and staff work together to create a balanced budget
that best supports the achievement and well-being of all students within the
funding provided by the province.
As the largest and most diverse school board in the
country, the TDSB has a unique set of needs when it comes to what is required
to best support our students and communities. To ensure that we continue to
support all students, we developed the Multi-Year Strategic Plan to set
direction and identify system goals. The focus of the Multi-Year Strategic Plan
is to ensure that every student has equitable access to programs and resources,
and increased opportunities that lead to success.
Requirement to Submit a Balance Budget
By law, school boards are required to balance their
budgets by June 30. Should a balanced budget not be submitted by that time (or
should there be concerns over a school board’s financial health), the Ministry
of Education has a number of measures at it disposal to ensure school board
compliance including:
- Withholding grants payable to
the school board when the school board is not in compliance. All or part
of a grant otherwise payable to a school board could be withheld.
- Directing a school board to
take measures to become compliant, including through the submission and
presentation of a formal action plan that outlines how the school board
intends to become compliant. Action plans serve to identify the commitment
and level of responsibility of the school board. They also help the
ministry to monitor the school board's progress.
- Increasing the frequency of
financial reporting by school boards, through interim financial reports,
which could be either quarterly or monthly to proactively monitor a school
board’s financial health.
- Appointing a team of internal
or external advisors to review the financial situation of a school board.
Based on the team's findings, the team may help the school board to
identify and develop strategies that would result in compliance.
- Appointing an investigator to
review the financial and the administrative affairs of the school board.
The investigator would report in writing to the Minister and could make
recommendations on specific actions that would ensure that a school
board's operation becomes compliant in a specific area or support the
school board in meeting its financial obligations. The Minister may then
order the school board to implement any action that the Minister deems
necessary to address the situation.
- Upon the recommendation of the
investigator, or if the school board does not comply with the Minister's
order, the Lieutenant Governor in Council may vest in the ministry, or a
supervisor appointed by the Minister, control and charge over the
administration of the affairs of the school board. The Minister has the
authority to take whatever action he or she considers necessary and
appropriate to manage the affairs of the school board in order to remedy
the non-compliance.
Staff Allocation
School-based staff allocation is a key component of
the TDSB’s budget process, with approximately 65% of the Board’s budget spent
on school-based staffing costs. Every year, staff allocation is guided by a
number of factors including student enrolment, collective agreements, class
sizes caps and averages, and the TDSB’s commitment to equity, student
achievement and well-being.