Tri-City public schools will take a hit next year as School District 43 grapples with a projected $12-million deficit after this year's shortfall ballooned from $7.5 million in just three months.
As of the latest accounting, announced at Tuesday's board of education meeting, SD43 expects to end the year about $8 million in the hole, not the $2.5 million that was projected after the district identified $5 million in cuts.
Teachers and support workers are understandably horrified by the news - as parents and taxpayers should be.
The board of education and the district leadership team are wearing this disaster, although it's too late for the blame game. Much has already been said about miscalculations and over-estimations of revenue and enrolment that the district claims led up to this point.
But more explanation is needed. It's time for B.C.'s Ministry of Education to get to the bottom of this financial debacle with a forensic audit and some eagle-eyed number crunching from independent professional accountants so this never happens again.
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