Private sector might be asked to help cash-strapped school

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24: Private business could be asked to help fund schools struggling to deal with budget cuts, union activists have suggested.

The Bermuda Public Services Union believes the community needs to do ‘whatever it takes’ to ensure schools are properly funded.

“We need to find alternative revenue streams for Berkeley and CedarBridge,” said BPSU General Secretary Ed Ball.

He suggested private sector donations linked to payroll tax relief as one potential solution.

He added: “It’s a dreaded word but school fees may be something we have to look at.”

He was speaking as negotiations continued over proposals to cut eight members of the ‘support staff’, said to include receptionists, secretaries and janitors, at Berkeley Institute continued.

The school board says it has been forced to make ‘tough decisions’ after $3m was chopped from its budget earlier this year.

The idea of ‘school fees’ is understood to be a non-starter.

But Mr Ball insisted something had to be done to prevent the service offered to students from being diminished.

“We are still in negotiations with the school. It is very difficult in light of the financial challenges they have. We are hoping the public will see the importance of these schools remaining viable.”

Budget

Speaking earlier in the day Craig Bridgewater, chairman of the board of governors at Berkeley, said the school had to work within its budget allocation.

He admitted it was not an easy task following the decision to reduce funding.

“It has been a tough job for a number of years. We could always do with more funds. It is especially difficult now that the budget has been cut,” he said.

The cash crunch at Berkeley has already seen jobs disappear in the ‘faculty’ department, which had its budget cut by $1.6m.

The latest negotiations concern the school’s ‘operational budget’, which was cut by $1.4m.

Mr Bridgewater said negotiations continued with the Union. But he warned there was little chance of any more money being found for the school.

“At this point the allocation is what it is. The Premier has made that clear on a number of occasions.”