The Pine Creek School Division was facing a significant shortfall in funding for the upcoming fiscal year. Their budget was approved last week and because of some creative thinking, they were able to balance the budget. Superintendent Bruce Lyons describes the details.

"We did get to a zero deficit by cutting some things out of the budget but not staff. The budget was in pretty good shape because of the good work done in the past by the administration and the board. We didn't have to go into any deficit spending, we didn't go into the surplus. Compared to other school divisions around the province, we weren't in the worst shape."

The school division was able to keep all of its programming while maintaining all of its teaching and support staff. The thing that saved the budget was a wage freeze for all teachers for two years. Through the wage freeze, the budget was able to be balanced.

Lyons had a word of caution, however.

"If we have the same two percent cuts, if we have those cuts imposed on education in next year's budget, it's going to be devastating. It was pretty harsh in some areas, there were staff cuts, some of them pretty significant in some school divisions. That could be the case in Pine Creek School Division next year too if we have the same kind of budget imposed on us. There's no fat to trim."