Lakehead Public Schools is growing with the amalgamation of two new schools.
The budget committee met to discuss revisions to the operation and capital budget to include the amalgamation of Collins District School Area Board and the Northern District School Area Board (Armstrong campus) on Tuesday. The amalgamation was in September, but the budget was completed and submitted in June without the additional costs of the two schools.
The total revenue increases the original budget by more than $2.7 million.
Kathy Pozihun, superintendent of business for Lakehead Public Schools, said the amalgamation of the two schools was announced with the original budget.
"It is still unclear what the entire cost is when operating with the two new schools," Pozihun said. "Larger boards are able to provide more opportunities and certainly provides more support for students."
Pozihun said the two schools were chosen because students would travel to Thunder Bay to attend secondary school. The Lakehead board isn’t receiving additional funding from the ministry, just the money that the two schools would have received anyway.
"The ministry said many times that this was not about saving money, it was about improving achievement for kids," she said.
Pozihun said the board is looking at the budget revisions later than it typically would because the board members want more time to ensure they do a good job.
The board also needs to revise the budget based on a Ministry of Education request to have enrolment numbers from Oct. 31.
The board’s enrolment increased by 238 full-time equivalent students with 4.4 from Bernie Stokes Public School and 76.6 from Armstrong Public School.
The Lakehead board will revisit the budget when they look at enrolment numbers again in March.
