Cowichan Valley school trustees are on their way to paring $3.3 million from their 2016-17 budget.
Shifting of the student-educator ratio up to 17.8 from 17.27 means a saving of $1.25 million but another $2.05 million will come from a variety of other changes.
The board of education met in committee April 21 to look at budget suggestions from secretary-treasurer Jason Sandquist.
They’ll start by taking $750K from a projected surplus but another $240K can be trimmed by some shifts at the district’s administrative centre.
They also have to consider some increases like making room for a probable hike in salaries for so-called “excluded staff” who are outside the district’s union structure. Principals and vice-principals, for instance, have gone six years without a raise.
“Some vice-principals are earning less than some teachers,” Sandquist said.
He said they also need to put more money into the district’s elementary schools, which are starting to burst at the seams and need more clerical workers.
Sandquist’s job has been tough this year because wholesale cuts and changes were made in 2013.
Trustees, especially Cathy Schmidt, sought more information before making a decision on Sandquist’s idea of saving up to $250K in adult education.
Trustee Candace Spilsbury said she hated having to increase the SER but hated even worse that programs would be affected.
The board will review an actual proposed budget at their public meeting on Thursday.