An unusual 2019-20 school year filled with strikes and a health crisis has led to the Hastings Prince Edward Public School Board declaring a surplus.

Superintendent of Business Services Nick Pfeiffer told the board of trustees on Monday night during their regular council meeting, the school board finished last year with an accumulated surplus of more than $10 million.

Pfeiffer said after meeting with an auditor to go over financial statements earlier this month, an in-year surplus of $5.1 million and a corresponding in-year surplus for Ministry of Education compliance reporting purposes of $700,771.

This brings the total accumulated surplus available for compliance to $10.2 million.

He explained that a big impact in 2019-20 was the board spending $14.2 million on capital projects, many of which are “asset acquisition” construction and renovation-type projects.

“Those expenditures are funded through a variety of sources, but I would say the majority of it came through either capital priorities - ministry funding sources for new construction, through school condition improvement or building renewal project allocations,” Pfeiffer explained.

The original budget plan for 2019-2020 was forecast to have a balanced budget with a surplus for compliance purposes of a little more than $20,000 because the board was still in a mandated Multi-Year Financial Recovery Plan.

HPEDSB was released from that plan in July.

He attributed this to two major factors – labour disruptions and the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Several classes were cancelled as a result of the strikes organized by teachers and support staff and the pandemic required schools to close from mid-March onward.

Overall revenues decreased from the budget by $2.6 million, and expenses by $5.8 million, according to Pfeiffer.

Significant factors that are affecting this is; the enrollment was slightly above budget projections (four students) for elementary schools and just below budget for secondary students, along with a reduction in expense for teachers at both levels due to the strikes.

“There were six strike days for elementary teachers and five for secondary teachers,” Pfeiffer explained.

“When those strike days occur, there’s a reduction in expense, so the teachers don’t get paid. The ministry also reduces our grant by a matching amount. So, both revenue and expenses were reduced by $2.8 million due to labour disruption.”

The Superintendent also acknowledged both the positive and negative effects of pandemic-related remote learning in the final few months of last year.

Staff absence replacement costs were reduced due to a decline in sick leave requests and supply teacher costs – covered by board administration – were also down, saving about $2.9 million.

However, there were also increased levels of staffing, with additional educational assistant, professional and para-professional and coordinator positions coming in the form of $1.4 million.

Schools were also not able to fundraise as much as they have in the past, which Pfeiffer said dropped revenue and expenses in that department by a little more than $2 million at $1.6.

About $3.7 million would be raised in a regular year, he noted.

The Board also approved a new visual identity at its meeting Monday, updating its 22-year long look.

Known as the Achievement concept, the board’s communications manager Kerry Donnell stated the new identity represents new beginnings, growth, feeling alive and part of nature and the world around us.

A committee met several times over the last few months to discuss refreshing the look of HPEDSB in modern times and reinforcing what it stands for.

The committee started with 11 variations of new logos and was able to agree on three concepts for final consideration.

Creating a new visual identity coincides with other strategic corporate initiatives currently underway, including the new strategic plan, Donnell stated.

The existing lighthouse/book logo was adopted in 1998 following the amalgamation of the Hastings County Board of Education and the Prince Edward County Board of Education.