Trustees with the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board could sign off on their budget for the next school year next Tuesday night.
They got a look at the draft document earlier this week. It was tabled on Tuesday night so the public can offer comments on the spending plan before it is formally approved.
The budget calls for $348.6-million in spending in the 2025-26 school year, an increase of $26.4-million over the previous year.
Unlike years in the past, the board didn't touch its surplus. The budget is funded entirely from in-year grant revenues.
It includes $19-million in capital spending and a $1.56-million contingency fund.
Education workers represented by CUPE and Unifor will receive another dollar an hour in pay, while pay for teachers and managerial staff will go up 2.5 per cent.
Staffing makes up 80 per cent of the board's total budget.
Enrolment next year, based on historical data, is expected to be 22,925, an increase of 780 students.
The Ministry of Education increased core education funding to all school boards in Ontario by $30.3-billion, up $953.5-million from last year.
The board must submit the budget to the Ministry on June 30.
