TDSB considers closing nearly half of its pools to curtail $58M budget deficit
CBC
Some pools, music instructors, outdoor activities and tech equipment could soon be on the chopping block at the Toronto District School Board, as the TDSB looks to dig itself out of a financial hole.
The board is facing a projected $58-million budget deficit this year, and a report going before its budget committee Wednesday afternoon outlines how it could make up the shortfall.
One of the recommended cuts that's perhaps caught the most attention so far impacts pool programming. The TDSB is looking to lay off 86 aquatic instructors and close the pools that it doesn't lease out.
The school board leases 27 of its 66 pools to the city and two more are leased privately for after school programming, meaning nearly half of its pools could shut down in a move the board report says could save $12.8 million.
Shuttering the pools would not only impact students using them, says Coun. Josh Matlow, who started a petition against the cuts, along with TDSB trustee Shelley Laskin.
"Losing these pools will also have an impact on the rest of our community because many people, including seniors and many others, rely on these pools," he said.
In a statement, TDSB chair Neethan Shan said, "it's important to note that no final decisions have been made," and it will be up to school trustees to make the final call as part of their budget process.
"Community consultations are integral for Trustees as we examine the many paths to balance the budget this year," Shan said.
Meanwhile, the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) is facing its own $65.9-million deficit. In a statement, TCDSB chair Markus de Domenico said the board identified more than $80 million in savings in the last three years and $10 million more this year.
He said the board is waiting on a report from the consulting firm Deloitte LLP, who it's working with to find ways to cut costs.
Kate Dupuis, whose two kids go to TDSB schools, says the province should properly fund education rather than make school boards look for ways to cut costs, especially for things that keep kids active. She also ran to be an NDP MPP in the past provincial election.
"I want trained, well-paid education workers in that pool with them to make sure kids are getting the best quality education they can," she said.
"Cuts hurt kids, it's not negotiable."
The board is also considering getting rid of its 74 itinerant music instructors (IMI), who teach specialized music skills that go above what's already required.
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