June 02, 2008, 10:03 PM by Barry Hertz

By Natalie Alcoba, National Post

Toronto Catholic trustees claimed they balanced their budget early this morning, even if a slew of approved cuts appeared to be just shy of covering the $14-million deficit.

After hours of debate, the Toronto Catholic District School Board voted quickly to implement more than a dozen cost savings, more than $4-million of which trustees came up with themselves after staff told them they were unable to suggest more than $8.4-million in cuts. 

"People were motived to come up with solutions," trustee Rob Davis said following the marathon meeting, that ended after midnight. He said "the pain was spread out" among adminstration and classrooms.

The board voted to lay off 85 teachers and 32 support staff in January, freeze non-essential travel and slash contract child and youth workers, along with halve trustee services to save $600,000. It also voted to save $1-million by filling high school vacancies with existing elementary teachers, a 10% reduction in school budgets for a $1.2-million savings as well as reducing photo copies and furniture upgrades.

The measures appeared to come a couple hundred thousand dollars short of a bottom line of zero. "We are committed to a balanced budget," said TCDSB chairwoman Catherine LeBlanc-Miller. She said the board will do what it takes - including shave more dollars off trustee expenses - in order to get there.  

Last night was the third in a flurry of meetings the TCDSB convened as it kicked into damage control following an expense account scandal that has lingered since January, and a deficit budget. In Ontario, all school boards must submit balanced budgets.

Kathleen Wynne, the Education Minister, has asked an investigator to report back to her tomorrow as to whether or not trustees can fix lax trustee expense account policies and get rid of a deficit before the province steps in and takes over.

Earlier in the evening, the board heard from the public about how to handle the deficit.

Education advocate Michael Baillargeon suggested trustees dramatically reduce their spending to help balance the books. "Trusteeship is not employment. It is not how much can I get for myself at the expense of others," he said, referencing allegations of questionable trustee spending that has made headlines in recent months.
Anthony Bellissimo, representing the Toronto Elementary Catholic Teachers union, suggested that millions of dollars had been "overspent" in governance and school operations. "As well, we learned last week schools are sitting empty that are costing the board millions of dollars. That's something that has to be looked at." 

Parent and former teacher Jim Regan came to deliver a mesage from 100 "very worried" parents who live in the city's east end.
"They still love you, they still support you, and they still know you have the best interest of our children," he said.  The board should "stop harping" on the issue of questionable expenses, he said, and concentrate on avoiding a provincial takeover, which is making parents "paranoid".

Many believe the writing is on the wall, and that the minister will still impose a supervisor despite a balanced budget. It is the publicity around a trustee spending scandal that has prompted the most intense scrutiny. Toronto’s Catholic Archbishop urged Catholic trustees to give up their divisive bickering, and a former chair of the board said the board should be forced to resign. Most recently, the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board issued a tersely worded letter to the largest Catholic board in the province, which it says has “experienced a leadership crisis and consequences are required.” The board called on those who were implicated in questionable spending practices to step down.

In a report released this month, provincial advisor Norbert Hartmann detailed a number of questionable spending practices by the board of 12 elected trustees, including members who claimed twice for the same expense, nepotism and one trustee who spent $7,500 on a masters of education. Mr. Hartmann was asked to look into the board’s affairs after various apparent violations garnered headlines in the press. One trustee is alleged to have claimed tropical vacations, a $575 purchase from Tiffany and Co. and an online purchase from a lingerie store as school-related expenses, which were later paid back.