The Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board has approved its 44 million dollar budget.
Superintendent of Business Cathy Colton says it was a tough budget process.
She says a reduction in government grants dollars coupled with declining enrolment numbers made balancing the books very difficult.
Fortunately there were no pink slips issued.
Colton says they managed to avoid layoffs through attrition.
Declining enrolment numbers greatly impact the school board because funding is directly linked to student enrollment.
Overall the Catholic Board is experiencing a 1 per cent drop in student enrollment which represents 36 fewer students.
The new budget includes a 3 percent increase for salaries, a reduction in class size for grades 4 to 8, increased preparation time for elementary teachers as well as more money for secondary programming.
Due to budget constraints reductions were made in the textbooks, classroom computers and student transportation budgets.
Overall 77 per cent of the budget will be spent on salaries and benefits.
67.5 per cent will go directly to the classroom.
The 44 million dollar budget represents a 5 per cent increase over the previous year.