By DON PEAT, Toronto Sun

Outspoken Toronto public school trustee Josh Matlow is calling on his colleagues to slash the salaries of the almost 1,000 people at the board who make more than $100,000.

Matlow, who is running for city council this fall, is calling on the cash-strapped Toronto District School Board to cut senior salaries by 5%, a move he says would save $5 million to $8 million.

The TDSB is facing a $12.3-million shortfall.

Matlow — who says the shortfall is closer to $47 million if you don’t assume provincial grants are coming through — said trustees need to make tough choices now before cutting into classroom necessities.

Aside from cutting pay, Matlow wants the board to consider selling its closed or vacant property — worth about $640 million — cancel a $345,000 Air Canada Centre rally for teachers, put a moratorium on all trustees and staff out-of-province trips and decrease senior staff discretionary budgets.

“I’m not pretending it’s not going to be hard,” Matlow said. “If the reality is we need to find $47 million, the reality is maybe everybody needs to share in the sacrifice.”

Don Higgins, the TDSB’s executive officer of business services, stressed the board will have a $12.3-million shortfall, and that staff will find ways to fill if trustees agree to go ahead with $7 million in deferred maintenance but put off $30 million.”

Higgins said cutting the salaries of unionized employees who make more than $100,000 wouldn’t be possible.

Salaries of non-unionized employees are approved by the board and could be revisited, Higgins said.

“Is that realistic, I don’t know,” he said.

Because the province is already looking at freezing the salaries of non-union employees, the wage cut might be premature, Higgins said.

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By This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Toronto Sun

The cash-strapped Toronto public school board could be hiring a fine-art curator for its multimillion-dollar collection.

But trustee Josh Matlow says with cuts to education assistant positions and school pools still slated for closure, now is not the time to be hiring an art curator.

Tighten up expenses: Trustee

By DON PEAT, TORONTO SUN

One Toronto public trustee is trying to toughen the board's new trustee expe nse rules.

Trustee Josh Matlow wants his fellow Toronto District School Board trustees to be more accountable for the taxpayers' dollars they spend to travel outside Ontario to attend conferences.

$2.4B TDSB Plan

Natalie Alcoba,  National Post

The Toronto District School Board approved a multi-billion-dollar budget for the next school year that staff said shifted more resources to its neediest students without firing teachers or cutting programs.

The $2.4-billion budget hires 142 more ESL teachers, 12 more numeracy coaches, invests more money into aboriginal programs and safe schools initiatives and also injects $5-million into an inner city schools project that has improved student performance.

But some trustees challenged the perception that the balanced budget would not affect students negatively. "I think we need to be clear that we are in fact making cuts," said trustee Chris Bolton, who expressed concerns about spending on special education and continuing education. The board voted earlier this year to cut intensive reading clinics, and this budget assumes that 23 school pools will close in September.

Kris Rushowy, The Toronto Star

For the first time in years Toronto District School Board Trustees easily – and quickly – passed a deficit-free budget.

All but one trustee voted to approve a $2.35 billion budget for Canada's largest school board in about half an hour late yesterday evening.

Earlier this year the deficit forecast was about $80 million, although after moving $40 million that was supposed to be used for building maintenance out of their capital budget to their operating budget, it was cut in half.