Developing the 2021-2022 Budget

Latest Budget News

June 30, 2021 – At this evening’s meeting of the Toronto District School Board, Trustees approved the 2021-22 Operating Budget (page 51). To support the safe and effective return to school in September, the $3.49B budget includes additional investments in the following areas: staffing supports; mental health and special education; student transportation health and safety; school operations and ventilation; and, re-engaging students and reading assessment supports.

At tonight’s meeting, Trustees also approved a motion for continued advocacy to the Ministry of Education to fund the full cost of the pandemic and reimburse the TDSB for the use of its reserves. The motion also requests that the Ministry fully fund all costs necessary to implement the Board’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan to mitigate the long-term impacts on student learning, as well as the impacts on students’ mental health and well-being.

UPDATE JULY 15: Read TDSB Chair Alexander Brown's letter to the Minister of Education calling on the Ministry to fully fund school board pandemic costs and reimburse reserves.

The Budget Process

Prior to this past year, the Ministry of Education announces revisions to education funding (Grants for Student Needs – GSNs) and the amounts that school boards will receive for the coming year in the Spring. Funding for education is determined through a set of provincial benchmark costs for the major components of education operations, as well as the number of students. By law, school boards are required to balance their budgets by June 30. TDSB Trustees and staff work together to create a balanced budget that best supports the achievement and well-being of all students within the funding provided by the province. This past year, due to COVID-19 pandemic, funding was not announced until June and boards were given until August 15 to submit their balanced budget. The timing for the 2021-22 GSN announcement from the province is still to be confirmed.

The TDSB’s annual operating budget is approximately $3.4 billion and we are committed to using these resources as responsibly and effectively as possible. However, the funding provided by the government does not fully meet the needs of students in Toronto. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to have a significant impact on the TDSB budget into next year. Read more about the TDSB’s key funding priorities and concerns, including the financial impact of COVID-19, in the Chair’s written submission to the Ministry of Finance as part of the Fall 2020 Ontario Budget consultation.

As the largest and most diverse school board in the country, the TDSB has a unique set of needs when it comes to what is required to best support our students and communities. To ensure that we continue to support all students, we developed the Multi-Year Strategic Plan to set direction and identify system goals. The focus of the Multi-Year Strategic Plan is to ensure that every student has equitable access to programs and resources, and increased opportunities that lead to success.

Finance, Budget & Enrolment Committee Meetings

Currently, the Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee (FBEC) meetings are being held virtually and are broadcast live to the public. Please note, the schedule of meetings below may change during the budget process.

Date	Budget Milestone	Reports	Meeting Webcast
October 14	Pandemic funding and cost update	Report: Pandemic Funding and Cost Update	Recorded Webcast
November 3	Budget schedule	2021-2022 Budget Schedule for Feedback Capital Issues: Update	Recorded Webcast
November 25	Update on reserves status as a result of 2019-20 operations 2020-21 Enrolment update Update on 2020-21 Revised Estimates Review of 2020-21 strategic budget drivers and discussion of proposed 2021-22 drivers	Reserve Status as a Result of 2019-20 Operations: Update 2020 Actual Enrolment: Update 2020-21 Revised Estimates: Update Draft 2021-22 Budget Strategic Drivers and Consultation Plan	Recorded Webcast
December 16, 2020	Education Funding Guide	Ministry of Education Funding Guide
January 2021	Finalize 2020-21 strategic budget drivers Three-year financial projections and budget strategy Update on provincial consultation on 2021-22 budget Discussion of public budget consultation plan and timelines during COVID-19 pandemic Three-year enrolment forecast	2020-21 Revised Estimates and COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream Funding: Update 2021-22 Education Funding Guide: Draft Response 2021-22 Budget Meeting Schedule: Update	Recorded Webcast
February 2021	Finalize public consultation plan on 2021-22 budget Update on Grants for Student Needs announcement from Ministry (if available) 2020-21 First quarter financial report	First Quarter Interim Financial Report 2020-21 (Appendix C) Three-Year Enrolment Projections 2021-22 to 2023-24 2021-22 Financial Forecast 2020-21 Pandemic Funding Update 2021-22 Education Funding Guide: Final Response	Recorded Webcast
March 2021	2021-22 School based staffing allocation Update on Grants for Student Needs announcement from Ministry (if available)	School-Based Staff Allocation 2021-2022: Teachers and Support Staff	Recorded Webcast
April 2021	Staff analysis of Grants for Student Needs with release of detailed budget working papers (if available) Capital revenue analysis based on GSN announcements (if available) Update to financial projection based on Grants for Student Needs and recommended options to balance (if available) 2020-21 Second quarter financial report	Second Quarter Interim Financial Report, 2020-2021 Proposed Strategic Drivers for the 2021-22 Budget Vice-principal Allocation 2021-2022 Updated Proposed 2021-22 Budget Timelines	Recorded Webcast
May 12, 2021	Detailed walk through of GSN, PPFs and projected financial position of the Board	2021-22 Grants for Student Needs Update Proposed 2021-22 Budget Timelines: Update	Recorded Webcast
June 1, 2021	Presentation of 2021-22 Operating and capital budget - Draft report (Special FBEC)	2021-22 TDSB Operating Budget Proposed 2021-22 Budget Timelines: Updated	Recorded Webcast
June 16, 2021	Approval of operating and capital budget for submission to Ministry	2021-22 Operating Budget (page 51)	Recorded Webcast
June 30, 2021	Board meeting to approve the 2021-22 Operating and Capital Budgets	2021-22 Operating Budget (page 51)

Budget Updates

June 2, 2021 – At yesterday’s meeting of the Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee (FBEC), staff presented the draft 2021-22 TDSB Operating Budget to Trustees. As next steps, capital costs will be incorporated into the operating budget, and then presented to Trustees for approval at FBEC on June 16, 2021. The operating budget will then come before all Trustees for final approval at the Board meeting on June 30, 2021.

For more information about the TDSB’s 2021-22 TDSB Operating Budget, please join us at the virtual Budget Town Halls on Thursday, June 10 at 11 a.m. or 7 p.m. to hear directly from staff about next year’s budget, and also ask questions and provide feedback.

May 12, 2021 - On May 4, the Ministry of Education announced the 2021-2022 Grants for Student Needs (GSN), which is the funding allocated by the government to school boards across the province. As part of this announcement, the Ministry also provided details regarding the continuation of the temporary COVID-19 funding and learning recovery and renewal support for next year. Staff provided a GSN update at the Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee meeting on May 12, 2021.

January 26, 2021 - The Chair of the Board sent a letter to the Minister of Education regarding the reimbursement of reserve funds and pandemic-related costs.

December 3, 2020 -- the Ministry of Education released the 2021-22 Education Funding Guide to school boards. Staff incorporated feedback received from a survey into the draft submission for review and approval at the Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee meeting on January 20 2021, prior to the deadline submission on January 21, 2021

December 2020 -- staff presented the 2021-22 Strategic Budget Drivers and the Ministry of Education Funding Guide to Trustees, to the TDSB Community Advisory Communities, SEAC and PIAC. Feedback relating to the budget strategic drivers will help guide decisions around the 2021-22 budget development process. Feedback on these proposed budget strategic drivers was invited through an online survey up to January 31, 2021.

October 15 -- the TDSB participated in the Ontario Ministry of Finance’s Fall 2020 Ontario Budget virtual consultation and shared concerns about the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the TDSB’s budget. The presentation touched on the following areas that require additional funding so that students and staff can be fully supported: In-Person/Virtual Models of Education, Special Education, Mental Health and Well-Being, PPE and Cleaning Supplies, and Supply Teacher Costs. The presentation also referenced the TDSB’s continued advocacy in the areas of Renewal Funding and access to Education Development Charges. Please read TDSB Chair Alexander Brown’s written submission to the Ministry of Finance for more information.

Last Year's Budget Processes

In 2020-21, school boards across Ontario faced unique challenges in finalizing their operating budgets due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the delayed announcements of the grants for student needs. School boards were given until August 15, 2020 to submit their balanced budgets to the Ministry of Education, and TDSB approved the 2020-21 budget on August 6, 2020. Learn more about the 2020-21 budget.