Board Chair Tony Goulet says Coralee Oakes’ figures are simply wrong, including her $10,755 number for per pupil funding.
He says her number came from taking the 2016-2017 operating grant and dividing it by the estimated student enrollment, which he says is a gross oversimplification of how funding is provided.
Goulet says the actual number is much lower, $7,218 dollars per student, because a significant amount of their money is designated for other priorities such as special needs and adult education.
Goulet says Oakes is also failing to acknowledge the cost pressures that have been downloaded onto the Board such as an expensive bill for an internet upgrade and wage increases.
He says the Board wants to sit down with the Education Minister and the Deputy Minister to “come up with the real numbers.”