Ministry of Education Budget Briefing Highlights Key Funding

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Budget Brief
Ministry of Education Headquarters
Head 16
Department of Education
Head 17
The Bermuda College
Head 41
March 11, 2013

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Mr. Chairman, the funding for the Ministry of Education can be found on page B-
101 of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the 2013/2014 fiscal year.
The Mission of the Ministry of Education is to raise the quality of teaching and
learning so that public schools become the number one choice for parents. In
order to carry out its Mission, the Ministry Headquarters is staffed by a
Permanent Secretary, Policy Analyst and Executive Assistant, and is supported by
the Department of Education.
Mr. Chairman, the Education Act 1996 establishes that oversight for the
Education system in Bermuda is provided by a Board of Education.
Appointed by the Minister of Education, the Board, amongst other things:
 makes recommendations to the Minister regarding educational policy;
 makes recommendations to the Minister regarding a statement of vision,
values and strategy for education;
 evaluates, in conjunction with the Commissioner of Education, the
performance of schools and boards of governors;
 makes recommendations to the Minister regarding the curriculum for
schools;
 makes recommendations to the Minister regarding methods for assessing
the performance of the educational system and monitoring the
implementation of plans for improving the system; and

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 makes recommendations to the Minister for the design and
implementation of an effective risk management strategy for schools,
including policies and measures to control risks relating to the provision of
education, security of persons and property and health and safety.
The Board of Education comprises representatives from schools, other than
senior schools, in different areas of Bermuda; the Berkeley Institute and the
CedarBridge Academy; Principals; Teachers; Parents; and persons representing
the business community. The Commissioner of Education and the President of the
Bermuda College also attend meetings, although they do not vote.
The present Board of Education includes the following members:
 Curtis Dickinson - Chairman
 Kim Wilkerson - Deputy Chair
 Kristin Ferreira
 Joseph Robinson
 Ann Spurling
 Craig Bridgewater
 Fanon Khaldun
 Holly Richardson
 Estlyn Harvey
 Shannon James
 Keisha Douglas

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 Dr. Akbar Muhammad
 Patrick Tannock
 Dale Young
 Llewka (Lew-K-Ah) Richards
I wish to take this opportunity to thank all of our Board members for their
commitment to the children of Bermuda.
Mr. Chairman, for the planning period and beyond, the Ministry set as its
strategic priorities to:
 Increase public confidence in the education system
 Align the Department of Education with Teaching and Learning and
 Clearly communicate goals through an accountability framework
Mr. Chairman, it might be recalled that in January 2011, the Commissioner of
Education, Mrs. Wendy McDonnell, relinquished responsibility for the day to day
operations of the Department of Education in order to lead the transformation of
the Bermuda Public School System.
In order to provide the Commissioner with greater flexibility to focus on teaching
and learning and the transformation of the public Education system, the
Permanent Secretary, Mr. Warren Jones, took on responsibility for the day to day
operations of the Department of Education. As a result, the primary responsibility
of the Permanent Secretary has been to ensure that human, financial, material

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and facility resources are aligned to support teaching and learning and are aligned
to the Government’s priorities.
Mr. Chairman, the Ministry of Education’s cash limit for 2013/2014 is set at
$145,391,000, an increase of $7,443,000 or 5.4% from the original budget of
$137,948,000 for the previous year. Members will note that the Ministry’s
portfolio now includes the Bermuda National Library (Head 18) and the Bermuda
Archives (Head 19). The focus of today’s budget debate, however, is on the
Ministry of Education Headquarters (Head 16), Department of Education (Head
17) and Bermuda College (Head 41).
Mr. Chairman, in aggregate these three entities have been allocated a total of
$141,571,000 for the fiscal year 2013/2014, a 5.7% increase from last year’s
original budget.

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HEAD 16 – MINISTRY OF EDUCATION HEADQUARTERS
GENERAL SUMMARY:
Mr. Chairman, I now turn to page B-102, where you will note that there has been
a significant decrease (of $688,000) in the Scholarships and Awards budget (Cost
Centre 26090) compared to last year’s budget allocation. The planned reduction
is related to Future Education Awards, Mature Students Awards and the Bermuda
Government Scholarships. The Ministry of Education is revising its internal
policies pertaining to these awards and developing amendments to the Bermuda
Government Scholarships Act 2008 that, once enacted, will allow the Ministry to
achieve its targeted reductions in that spend category and reallocate the funding
to the operation of Ministry programmes. The legislative proposals to the
Bermuda Government Scholarships include:
 Extending the term of each scholarship by one academic year, to a period
not exceeding four years, in order to coincide with the typical number of
years required to earn an undergraduate university degree; and,
 Covering tuition and basic accommodation only, to a maximum value of
$35,000 per year, instead of covering the total cost of tuition,
accommodation (including room and board), a one-way airfare ticket to
university and a one-way return ticket upon the completion of studies.
The revised legislation will maintain the number of scholarships awarded
annually to a maximum of eight.

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Mr. Chairman, these legislative changes will:
 provide better predictability of the maximum annual cost of Bermuda
Government Scholarships;
 allow the Ministry of Education to reduce its overall scholarship budget
going forward; and,
 allow the Ministry to honour its commitments to past awardees without
having to maintain or increase past expenditure levels for scholarships and
awards. Awardees under the revised legislation may not require the
maximum award of $35,000 annually, in which case budget savings will be
reallocated to past awardees whose tuition, room and board and airfare
must be paid in accordance with the legislation in effect at the time of
their award.
Cost Centre 26000 (General Administration) supports the salaries of the
Permanent Secretary, a Policy Analyst and an Executive Assistant who also
supports the Minister. This budget allocation is also lower than the previous
budget by $123,000, the majority of which is through savings in overtime by the
Executive Assistant and the reduction of overseas travel and training costs as part
of the Ministry’s continued cost containment and cost reduction efforts.
Cost Centre 26080 (Grants to External Bodies) captures the cost of grants to
external bodies which run programmes that are beneficial to the educational
experience of students. This includes television programming of the popular
“Sesame Street” show, youth development experiences through the Bermuda
Sloop, the therapeutic riding programme for children with disabilities, and

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assistance programmes for children with dyslexia or math-related learning
difficulties. Last year’s budget did not include specific funding for these
programmes, unlike previous years; as such, the Ministry attempted to find and
make savings in other areas to provide for the grants, and achieved this objective
in part only.
This year’s budget allocates $621,000 for grants to external bodies. The reduction
of $172,000 from the 2011/2012 actual spend is the result of the aforementioned
savings and a change to a “fee-for-service” approach that the Ministry
implemented during 2012/2013 with some previous grant recipients. A “fee-for-
service” approach is a contractual agreement between the Ministry and a service
provider in which the cost of a particular service is predetermined or is set at a
fixed hourly rate. Only if the service is rendered does a fee become payable by the
Ministry.
The Ministry of Education plans to award grants during the 2013/2014 fiscal year
to the following non-profit organisations:
The Bermuda Broadcasting Company - $40,890 for educational programming for
preschoolers and young children. (Last year: $40,890)
The Bermuda National Gallery - $16,350 for the ArtReach educational
programming, which promotes visual arts in schools. (Last year: $16,350)

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The Bermuda School Sports Federation – $50,000 to assist financially with the
rental fees at the National Sports Centre for youth sports such as track and field,
and other organized sports such as football, cricket, and mountain biking. This is a
new grant effective 2013/2014; however the same amount was paid directly to
the National Sports Centre by the Ministry of Education in past years and
therefore this is not incremental spending.
The Centre for Talented Youth - $100,000 for their afterschool Gifted and
Talented Programme for designated high achieving students. (Last year:
$104,000)
Global Arts (UN) – $33,120 to support Youthnews.com and other leadership
development activities for students. (Last year: $33,120)
The Student Leadership Development Programme will receive $10,000 to
support highly focused senior school students. (Last year: $10,000)
The Reading Clinic – $75,000 to provide financial assistance towards psycho-
educational assessments and diagnostic assessment of primary school children
with dyslexia or math-related learning difficulties, and early literacy intervention
programmes for public preschool students. (Last year: $20,000)
A grant of $25,000 will be given to Windreach to help support the Therapeutic
Riding Programme, which allows for an increase in sensory motor skills for

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children with disabilities, as well as social, physical, cognitive and emotional
development. (Last year: $15,000)
The Bermuda Sloop Foundation will be given $200,500 to provide voyages to
middle school boys and girls. (Last year: $200,500)
Our final grant recipient is YouthNet who will receive $20,445 to support the
mentorships of one thousand public school students through traditional, reading,
peer, sports and work site mentoring. During 2013, YouthNet will pilot E-
mentoring by leveraging technology as the medium for mentoring senior school
students. (Last year: $20,445)
The total amount of funds allocated for grants is $571,305. (Last
year: $460,305) [NOTE: the amount of $571,305 excludes a professional services
contract valued at $50,000, which brings the total expenditures in Cost Centre
26080 (Grants to External Bodies) to $621,000].
Mr. Chairman, the following organisations may qualify to receive a fee-for-service
when they provide services to public school students. All of these organisations,
except for The Menuhin Foundation, support the Alternative Education and Out
of School Suspension programme, which I will describe in greater detail later in
my presentation:
 The Adult Education School

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 CARE Learning Centre
 The Technology Skill Center
 Petra Academy (Deveene Hollis)
 Impact Mentoring
 Lighthouse Christian Academy (Tammy Zuill)
 RHM School House
 School of Tomorrow (Cannoth W. Roberts)
 TLC Institute, and
 The Menuhin Foundation
Funds for organisations on a fee-for-service basis are found within the budget for
Programme 1702 (Student Services) on page B-105, with the exception of The
Menuhin Foundation for which a fee-for-service contract of up to $50,000 is
planned within Cost Centre 26080 (Grants to External Bodies).
SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS OF CURRENT ACCOUNT ESTIMATES:

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Mr. Chairman, turning to page B-103, members will note in column 7 of the first
table the aforementioned reductions in Salaries and Grants and Contributions of
$111,000 and $170,000, respectively, from the original budget for 2012/2013.
These are partially offset by an increase of $105,000 in Professional Services.
During 2012/2013, the Ministry of Education engaged the services of a part-time
contractor to provide administrative and operational support to the Board of
Education and its sub-committees, maintain the minutes of the Board, and
compile reports on behalf of or for submission to the Board. The contractor also
provides similar support services to the Scholarships Committee, which reviews
all applications received for scholarships and awards, assesses applicants based
on established criteria, and makes recommendations to the Minister on which
applicants should receive a scholarship or award.
EMPLOYEE NUMBERS (FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS):
Mr. Chairman, you will note under the caption “Employee Numbers (Full-Time
Equivalents)” that there is a reduction of one employee from last year’s budget
for the Ministry of Education Headquarters. An employee retired effective April
2012 and the post remained vacant for the balance of the 2012/2013 fiscal year;
for the 2013/2014 fiscal year, the post was reallocated to Cost Centre 27002
(Finance and Corporate Services) under Head 17.
Mr. Chairman, I also wish to highlight that the column referenced 2011/2012
Actual in this table does not reflect the correct number of employees for that
fiscal year; indeed, the figures shown are those of our original budget for

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2011/2012. The actual number of employees for 2011/2012 for Head 16 is four,
not five, consisting of three employees in General Administration and one
employee in Scholarships and Awards. Column 7 in this table also contains an
error, whereby the difference between 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 should be
zero, not 3, for General Administration and negative 1, not zero, for Scholarships
and Awards. The percentage reduction in Column 8 should be 25%.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES:
Mr. Chairman, turning to page B-104, you will note the Ministry of Education
Headquarters’ performance measures for the 2013/2014 financial year, along
with target outcomes. One measure, for example under Grants to External
Bodies, will involve seeking feedback from participants and other knowledgeable
observers on students’ learning experiences and acquired skills from external
programmes funded by the Ministry, such as the Bermuda Sloop Foundation,
Centre for Talented Youth or The Reading Clinic. This will allow the Ministry to
assess the value for money in funding such programmes, and should assist the
Ministry in its decision-making process to renew grants in subsequent years, or
reallocate the funds to other qualified external programmes or core programmes
of the Ministry.
Members will note, however, that certain measures come into effect for the
2013/2014 reporting year, and therefore do not have comparatives in earlier
years.

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HEAD 17 – DEPARMENT OF EDUCATION
Mr. Chairman, the objectives of the Department of Education are:
 To support schools to raise teaching levels so that students are encouraged
to learn to the highest possible degree
 To provide expertise to support schools in providing services and in
reaching agreed standards and
 To assess and evaluate the results of teaching and learning so as to
determine progress and to offer help and encouragement where needed.
Mr. Chairman, while I intend to set out in some detail the role and function of the
Department of Education, I would just like to highlight at the outset that among
the priorities for the Department of Education for the upcoming year will be:
 To work with our principal and teacher stakeholders to transform Middle
School Education
 To review the graduation criteria
 To expand the Cambridge Curriculum course offerings
 To raise the standard for teacher recruitment and
 To expand the service offerings for students with special needs
Mr. Chairman, the Education Act 2006 establishes that the Commissioner of
Education shall be the head of the Department of Education and operate under
the supervision of the Permanent Secretary.

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The Commissioner of Education is responsible for all aspects of the operations of
the Department of Education, including the supervision of three directors and
overall responsibility for public schools, early learning, curriculum and
assessment, special education, professional development, and business
operations (business operations are presently being managed by the Permanent
Secretary, as outlined earlier).
Mr. Chairman, you will also be aware that the Ministry of Education is recruiting
to fill the post of Commissioner of Education upon the retirement of present
Commissioner Mrs. Wendy McDonell in August of this year.
I am certain that members on both sides of this Honourable House will join me,
although somewhat prematurely, to wish Mrs. McDonell all the best and to thank
her for her commitment to the Education system in general, and the children of
Bermuda specifically.
GENERAL SUMMARY:
Mr. Chairman, turning to the budget for the Department of Education on page B-
105, you will note an increase of $2,024,000 in Program 1701 (Central
Administration). This increase is driven by two key programmes that form one of
the pillars of the Blueprint for Reform in Education: Educational Standards and
Accountability (Cost Centre 27090) and School Improvement and Staff
Development (Cost Centre 27031), which together account for $2,201,000 of the
increase.

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Funding of $1,978,000 is allocated to Cost Centre 27031 (School Improvement
and Staff Development) for the salaries of seven mentor teachers and the vacant
post of Education Officer, Staff Development. The post of Education Officer, Staff
Development will be advertised as part of a re-alignment of this cost centre. This
cost centre also funds a central training budget in the amount of $1,150,000 for
the professional development of teaching staff across the school system.
Mr. Chairman, the School Improvement and Staff Development Section consists
of an Acting Assistant Director post (vacant), an Education Officer post (vacant
with recruitment being requested) and Mentor Teachers.
This section:
i. Manages the Teacher Induction and Orientation Programme to assist new
teachers in instructional management and orienting teachers who are new
to the Bermuda educational system;
ii. Provides instructional leadership and support for identified developing
teachers; and
iii. Co-ordinates and provides support for professional development for
schools.
Cost Centre 27090 (Educational Standards and Accountability) is allocated
$1,419,000 to fund the salaries of a Director, three Assistant Directors, 26 schools
and Principals and 10 Content Specialists, of which five are currently in place
while another five will be added during 2013/2014.

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The mission of these programmes is to improve the quality of teaching and
learning in the classroom by implementing the highest quality standards for the
training, supervision and performance management of teachers and principals,
and strengthening and distributing leadership through the use of mentor
teachers, teacher leaders, and content specialists.
Mr. Chairman, this section is responsible for the overall supervision of schools
and principals for the purposes of continuous school improvement and
developing and implementing educational standards and accountability to hold
principals accountable for the effective delivery of the curricula to students and
for the results of student learning. In addition, the Educational Standards and
Accountability Section is responsible for monitoring and evaluating principals to
ensure that they fulfill their responsibilities for the organisation and management
of schools.
Mr. Chairman, the Blueprint for Reform in Education includes strengthening and
distributing leadership as a strategy for instructional improvement. I would like to
outline the critically important roles of mentor teachers, teacher leaders, and
content specialists in the implementation of this strategy.
Mentor teachers: (total of seven: six in place, one to be added in 2013/2014)
 Assist new teachers in their orientation to the Bermuda Public School
System;

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 Provide training to, and classroom observation and classroom
management techniques for, newly recruited teachers in their first and
second years of service, and for experienced teachers as required;
 Train and guide teachers in appropriate techniques for monitoring and
assessing students, and providing feedback to them; and,
 Coach teachers to ensure research based instructional strategies are
applied.
Teacher leaders (total of 139) assume a wide range of roles at the school level to
support school and student success, so I will highlight only a few. Teacher
leaders:
 Administer a department, such as mathematics, science, or social studies,
and supervise the faculty;
 Promote teachers’ delivery and understanding of the school curriculum;
 Collaborate with individual teachers and groups through professional
learning, co-planning, co-teaching and coaching to improve teaching and
learning; and,
 Assist their principal with setting measurable goals to be included in the
School Improvement Plan and work with the principal and faculty to
ensure growth in their content area.
For the start of the 2012/2013 school year, five content specialists were
introduced into the Bermuda Public School System to improve the quality of
teaching and learning at the school sites in the core content areas of Language

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Arts, Mathematics and Science – to mirror the Cambridge Curriculum. A further
five content specialists will be added during 2013/2014, bringing the total to 10.
Content specialists support teachers in order to strengthen their content
knowledge and pedagogical skills – that is, the skills teachers use to impart the
specialised knowledge and/or content of their subject areas. Content specialists
provide instructional coaching for teachers in classrooms, modeling of exemplary
lessons, professional development support to schools, and programme
consultation to principals and ministry officers.
Members will note a decrease of $624,000 in Cost Centre 27001 (Office of the
Commissioner) consisting of reductions in planned overseas contractors, training
and travel costs, as well as office supplies and hospitality costs. These are the
result of the Ministry’s continued cost containment efforts, particularly in spend
categories that are deemed to be more discretionary in nature. The reductions
have been reallocated to Cost Centre 27160 (Substitutes), which supports the
salaries of substitute teachers who provide coverage when teachers get ill during
the school year. This cost centre was not funded to the extent necessary in the
previous budget, considering historical rates and trends as can be seen from the
last two years of actual spend: $1,849,000 in 2011/2012 and $1,399,000 in
2010/2011). During 2012/2013, the Ministry applied much more stringent
conditions on the use of substitute teachers.
Cost Centre 27030 (Human Resources) funds the salaries of the Senior Human
Resources Manager and the staff who provide strategic advice to the Ministry on

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human resources management, and personnel management services including
recruitment, industrial relations, employee relations, employee administration,
compensation and benefits.
Mr. Chairman, the Ministry has often been criticised for failing to have staff in
place at the beginning of each school year. I am pleased to advise my honourable
colleagues that the recruitment process for September 2013 began earlier than
normal. The first advertisements went out in November of 2012 as opposed to
the process commencing in January as in past years.
This process has been communicated to staff and the Human Resource Section is
tracking progress against deliverables as we begin to receive information from
teaching staff in line with communication deadlines established within their
collective bargaining agreement.
Mr. Chairman, the decrease of $522,000 from the previous budget is due to the
elimination of funding for five of the six teacher sabbatical leaves that the
Ministry normally budgets for in order to remain within its assigned cash
limit. Effective the 2013/2014 school year, the Ministry will consider providing
sabbatical leaves to suitably qualified teachers who are interested in pursuing
further education in areas of system need. For the 2013/2014 school year, those
areas are mathematics, science, special education, early childhood literacy, or
gifted and talented education. Should multiple sabbaticals in these areas be
approved, the Ministry will endeavor to find savings within other programmes to

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fund the sabbaticals, in keeping with the collective agreement with the Bermuda
Union of Teachers.
Cost Centre 27095 (School Attendance) funds the salaries of an attendance co-
ordinator and six attendance officers who have responsibility for the enforcement
of compulsory education. It is their job to ensure that children of compulsory
school age are, in fact, in school.
Mr. Chairman, I would now like to describe the expenditures for Program 1702,
our Student Services Section.
The majority of the posts that make up Student Services belong to the Bermuda
Union of Teachers and post holders are located in schools on a full-time basis.
These include educational therapists, specialist teachers, school counsellors and
paraprofessionals. With the exception of the acting assistant director, who is
responsible for the senior management and administration of the Section, all
other post holders, such as the education officers and school psychologists, are
housed in schools and spend the majority of their working hours in schools.
Cost Centre 27061 (Behaviour Management) - funds 11 behaviour therapists for
preschool, primary and middle schools, as well as for the Alternative Education
Programme. The reduction of $209,000 from the previous budget is related to
two vacant posts that are not planned to be filled during the 2013/2014 fiscal
year based on anticipated needs, and the reduction of local travel costs.

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Cost Centre 27063 (School Psychology) - funds six school psychologist posts who
work across all school levels, in addition to an education officer.
Cost Centre 27064 (Adapted Physical Education) - funds four adapted physical
education teachers who work across all school levels. The increase of $75,000
from the previous budget is to fund the fourth post, which is incremental in
response to student needs.
The adapted physical education programme is a developmentally appropriate
programme which provides the adaptive support necessary for students with
movement challenges to meaningfully participate in physical education.
Cost Centre 27065 (Hearing) - funds three teachers to support students who are
deaf, or hard of hearing as well as overseas tuition for three students. These
teachers work across all levels.
Cost Centre 27068 (Primary One Screening) – this cost centre was merged with
Cost Centre 27074 (Learning Support) and the education officer who oversees
learning support in all preschools and in P1 is now included in that budget. I will
address Cost Centre 27074 (Learning Support) and its allocation for 2013/2014 a
little further into this presentation.
Cost Centre 27066 (Vision) - funds three teacher posts, including a qualified vision
teacher. These specialised resources teach students who are visually impaired,
blind, or have low vision. The number of such students has risen from 11 in 2010

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to 46 in 2012, of which six require to be serviced with Braille. The teachers are
responsible for all levels and teach the Cambridge Curriculum as well as
compensatory skills to help the students function and thrive in their regular
classroom environment and in the world. This programme has benefited from
overwhelming school, family and community support.
Mr. Chairman, I am extremely pleased to report on the success of the Busy Bees
Braille Programme, which was launched two years ago and is based at the
Prospect Primary School. The Busy Bees Braille Programme works to support the
needs of six students, ranging in grade levels from P3 to M3 from schools across
the island, who have severe vision loss and/or have the diagnosis of losing their
vision. With the assistance of and cooperation from Para educators, learning
support teachers, classroom teachers, school administrators, and special
programmes within the community, students are learning not only adapted and
modified academics, but also the nine areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum –
the body of skills needed by students with visual impairments to participate fully
in school, work and daily life. The students are learning specifically how to
enhance and incorporate braille and other compensatory skills into their everyday
lives, orientation and mobility skills, recreation and leisure skills, assistive
technology, social interaction skills, and self-determination. I am also happy to
say, Mr. Chairman, that the Para educators working in the Busy Bees programme
are currently participating voluntarily in an online braille learning course offered
through the Hadley School for the Blind, in order to better support their students
with their continuing academic needs. The Hadley School for the Blind is a
nonprofit international distance education school based in Winnetka, Illinois, on

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the outskirts of Chicago.
Cost Centre 27069 (Gifted and Talented) - funds the education officer and one
teacher for the Gifted and Talented Programme. The reduction of $93,000 from
last year’s budget is related to a vacant teacher post that will remain as such
pending the completion of a strategic review of this pilot programme.
Over the last two years, the Department of Education has piloted a gifted and
talented programme within the Dellwood cluster of schools. These schools
include the Victor Scott, West Pembroke and Northlands Primary Schools. The
programme provided the Dellwood Family of Schools with Language and
Mathematics at the P5 and P6 primary level, Language Arts at the M1 – M3
middle level and Enrichment from the P4 – M3 level.
A strategic review of the pilot is presently underway within the Department of
Education with the intent of implementing a programme in September 2013.
The Centre for Talented Youth, previously mentioned as a grant recipient,
provides a Gifted and Talented Programme for students who have been
designated as high achievers in academics and art through after school
courses. The courses include art, sculpture, English, English Literature, SAT
mathematics, SAT pre-calculus, pre-algebra, algebra, algebra applications and
introduction to logic and cryptology. Approximately one hundred students are
enrolled in the programme.

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Cost Centre 27071 (Office Support) - funds the acting assistant director of
Student Services and an administrative assistant. On a temporary basis only and
until the start of the 2013/2014 school year, the cost centre is also funding 13
Bermudian school teachers (10 primary, one middle and two senior) who account
for the entire increase of $1,172,000 from the previous budget. These teachers
are currently actively working and will be assigned to schools on a permanent
basis upon the termination of contracts of teachers from overseas.
Cost Centre 27072 (Counselling) - funds the education officer for counselling and
26 preschool, primary and middle school counselors (8 preschool and primary
school, 7 primary, 10 middle, and 1 Alternative Education). This cost centre was
only partially funded in the 2012/2013 budget as a result of budgetary cutbacks,
resulting in a shortfall of $675,000 in that year. The 2013/2014 budget funds this
programme adequately based on current and expected students’ academic,
personal and/or social development and career development needs.
Cost Centre 27074 (Learning Support) – funds four education officers and 42
preschool, primary, middle and special school learning support teachers (Learning
Support teachers at the senior level fall within their respective budgets). Due to
budgetary cutbacks, the 2012/2013 budget funded only one-third of the salary
costs of this programme, resulting in a shortfall of $3,421,000 in that year. This
shortfall is one of the main reasons for the Ministry of Education’s request for a
supplemental estimate in 2012/2013. The 2013/2014 budget funds this
programme adequately based on students’ needs.

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Cost Centre 27079 (Paraprofessionals) - funds 99 primary school
paraprofessionals. Some paraprofessionals support more than one child in a
school. There are currently 116 paraprofessionals, including three relief posts;
five paraprofessionals are at The Berkeley Institute while 10 are at the
CedarBridge Academy.
Mr. Chairman, in June 2011, in light of budgetary constraints, the Ministry of
Education eliminated a total of 96 teaching, paraprofessional and educational
therapist assistant posts. Subsequently in fiscal year 2011/2012, in order to meet
student needs, the Ministry rehired a number of paraprofessionals and
redeployed some of the affected teachers and educational therapist assistants
within their schools or to other schools. A net reduction of 53 posts, or 4% of the
pool, was nonetheless achieved. However, it was not anticipated nor known at
the time of preparation of the 2012/2013 budget that some paraprofessionals
would be rehired, and therefore their salary costs were not funded in that budget.
This explains the increase in 2013/2014 in Cost Centre 27079 (Paraprofessionals),
which strictly comprises salary costs.
Cost Centre 27083 (Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD) – Mr. Chairman, autism
is a condition that impacts brain development in the areas of social interaction
and communication skills. Medically diagnosed cases of autism have increased
dramatically internationally over the past several years and the same is true for
Bermuda. Traditionally, students diagnosed with ASD are assigned
paraprofessionals who help to support their educational needs in the classroom,
in consultation with classroom teachers. However, many of these students

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require more intensive services, including therapies that cannot be adequately
provided in the regular classroom setting. The Ministry of Education knows of 35
medically-diagnosed cases of such students within the Bermuda Public School
System; however, based on international figures and information gathered locally,
we suspect that there may be even more cases of which we are unaware. During
the 2012/2013 school year, the Ministry of Education opened a second ASD
classroom and has planned in its 2013/2014 budget the addition of a third
classroom. Altogether, approximately 18 students will be serviced in these
classrooms.
Autism is a spectrum disorder - meaning that there is a wide range of disorders
that fit that diagnosis. Therefore, the interventions required to assist an individual
must be tailored to meet their individual need. We have found that there are
some students who benefit from interventions provided in a specially equipped
classroom environment, although the classroom environment is not suitable for
every diagnosis on the spectrum. The remaining students continue to receive
specialised interventions based on their individual needs.
It is also important to note that the 2012/2013 budget did not allocate dedicated
funding for this very important and growing programme.
Cost Centre 27084 (Alternative Education and Out of School Suspension) – funds
both the Alternative Education Programme and the Out of School Suspension
Programme. The programme is allocated $1,327,000 for the upcoming budget
year.

28
You will recall, Mr. Chairman, that I mentioned earlier in this presentation several
organisations who may receive a fee-for-service as part of our Alternative
Education Programme.
It might also be recalled that in 2011, the Department of Education closed The
Educational Centre (TEC) and introduced a new structure of Individual Education
Plans (IEP's) with the help and support of private sector partners.
The Alternative Education Programme was developed for at-risk youth with
severe behavioural challenges who were not functioning to their level of ability in
the regular school environment. This 1% of the total student population is being
serviced through a consortium of alternative facilities so as to best meet their
individual learning and behaviour management needs. While in the alternative
programme, students are monitored daily, receive counselling services as well as
psychological support, and other services that may be deemed required by the
student such as drug abuse counselling or anger management. There are
currently 46 students enrolled in the Programme, up from 25 last year, and
through hard work and dedication they have remained in school. The overall goal
is to support student achievement. This programme was not funded in the
2012/2013 year due to budgetary cutbacks; however, costs of $550,000 have
been planned in 2013/2014 for fee-for-service agreements with organisations
such as CARE Learning, Petra Academy and the Adult Education School. As well,
one educational therapist was transferred to this programme, adding a further
$92,000 to the programme but not to the Ministry overall.

29
In 2011, the Department also introduced a suspension regime in keeping with the
provisions of the Education Act. This regime assigns oversight of 'out of school
suspensions' for offences detailed in the Education Act to the Department of
Education.
The Out of School Suspension Programme is a product of mandated compliance
with the Education Act so that students are suspended in line with the legislation.
The programme delivers our curriculum to students who have been removed
from school for committing infractions such as fighting, or possessing and/or
using weapons or drugs.
The programme eliminates the practice of students being suspended to their
homes with no educational supervision. The programme also offers an
opportunity to provide therapeutic interventions for students who may be at risk
of dropping out of school or developing more serious anti-social behaviours.
Students under suspension, when necessary, are assessed and if deemed
necessary receive interventions specific to their needs to ensure that when they
return to the school body - they have the best opportunity for successful
reintroduction.
These two programmes have had a positive impact through the services they
provide for students. They are presently being assessed in order to ensure that
they meet the needs of students and address the concerns of our teachers and
principals. Mr. Chairman, these two programmes speak specifically to the

30
recommendations of the Mincy Report and the need to keep students engaged in
school, particularly our young black males.
Mr. Chairman, I would now like to focus on Program 1703, our Finance and
Corporate section.
Cost Centre 27002 (Finance & Corporate) - has been allocated $853,000 to
support the salaries of the Ministry Comptroller and the staff who support the
financial administration of the Ministry. This section is responsible for providing
strategic financial advice to senior management, cost-effective and responsive
financial services, procurement and contracting services, and corporate planning
solutions to the Ministry’s management, employees and schools. This includes
payroll administration and processing, scholarship and grant disbursements and
financial reporting.
Cost Centre 27003 (Office Accommodation) – has been allocated $1,403,000.
This cost centre funds the annual rent, office maintenance, electricity and
communication costs of the Ministry’s headquarters building, as well as its
receptionist and messenger. Mr. Chairman, I am happy to report that in the first
nine months of 2012/2013, the Ministry achieved savings in rental costs of
approximately $225,000 (32%), predominantly the result of the consolidation of
offices at Southside during 2011/2012.
Cost Centre 27040 (Educational Stores) – this cost centre has been allocated
$862,000 and supports salaries for the Stores manager, a storeman, two truck

31
drivers and two labourers as well as the cost to purchase curriculum-based
materials and cleaning and maintenance materials for schools.
Cost Centre 27041 (School Transport) – this cost centre has been allocated
$449,000 and funds the salaries for three bus drivers and two bus attendants who
provide transportation to our special needs children, two groundsmen who
maintain school sports fields, and one Labour, Transport and Safety Officer, as
well as the costs to maintain the Ministry’s motor fleet. The increase of $109,000
from the previous budget is due to the transfer of the two groundsmen, who last
year were incorrectly planned under Cost Centre 27520 (Curriculum
Implementation). These are not incremental costs to the Ministry’s overall
budget.
Cost Centre 27042 (Building, Grounds and Equipment) – this cost centre has
been allocated $1,380,000 and funds the salaries of the Facilities Manager and
one secretary. The majority of the budget, $1,050,000, pertains to repairs and
maintenance across the public school system while $100,000 is budgeted for
water that is purchased for schools or transferred between schools to maintain
adequate supply levels in tanks, and water treatment services to ensure that
water quality is compliant with regulations of the Health Department. The
increase from the previous budget is related to repairs and maintenance for
recurring work that in the past was planned as capital funds, but the nature of the
work does not meet the accounting definition of capital. Examples would be mold
remediation, pest control, or interior painting of school buildings, all of which are
maintenance costs.

32
Cost Centre 27050 (Information Technology Support) – this cost centre has been
allocated $3,615,000 and supports salaries for the IT Manager and 11 staff who
together provide information technology support services to approximately 6,000
users and hardware and software maintenance of some 2,700 computers and
1,000 peripherals across the Bermuda Public School System. Forty-eight percent
of the increase from last year’s budget is related to additional local contractor
costs to meet the demand for support in schools and bring the ratio of
computers-to-technician more in line with the established industry standard for
education of no more than 150 to 1 for a “satisfactory efficiency” service delivery
model. The Ministry is currently operating at a ratio of 270 to 1, whereas the
additional contractor costs will reduce this to 180 to one. Another 44% of the
increase is in communications costs for data hosting services, power consumption
and leased circuit costs. Under a three-year contractual agreement, the Ministry
houses all of the servers and communication equipment used to provide data
services to schools and administrative sites at LinkBermuda in order to enhance
security, improve internet service, and reduce the risks of network outages due to
hurricanes, power outages and theft. The data centre hosting also minimises
costs of moving and/or relocation whenever they arise.
Mr. Chairman, turning to Page B-106 – Program 1704 (Preschools)
There are currently 394 children attending 10 government preschools, a reduction
of 8.8% from the 432 children registered last year. The aggregated allocation to
preschools for the upcoming budget year is $5,374,000, an 8.9% decrease from
last year. This reduction is principally due to savings achieved in security guard

33
costs as a result of the installation of closed circuit television cameras, and
reduced allocations for office supplies and cleaning materials.
Mr. Chairman, during 2011/2012 and part of 2012/2013, the Ministry of
Education implemented a new security monitoring model in preschools, primary
and middle schools so as to reduce the very high cost of roving security guard
services. Through a competitive procurement process, the Ministry installed
closed circuit television cameras and monitoring stations and in-so-doing reduced
the need for security guards very significantly. I am very happy to report, Mr.
Chairman, that in the first nine months of 2012/2013 the Ministry achieved
savings of $1,554,000 in security guard service costs compared to the same period
in 2011/2012. These savings are across the system of preschools, primary and
middle schools.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Education has undertaken a process to relocate
preschools to primary school facilities. Over the last two years, the Lyceum
Preschool was moved to the Francis Patton Primary School and the Lagoon Park
Preschool moved to the Somerset Primary School site.
These moves mirror the action of a previous administration which, rather than
close a school, added to the number of public preschool places by moving
Southampton Preschool to a government-owned building next door to Dalton E.
Tucker Primary School.
These moves:

34
 provide parents with children at both the preschool and primary
levels the benefit of having them in one location;
 are in keeping with the policy to house government entities in
government facilities wherever possible;
 continue a plan started with the relocation of the Southampton Pre-
school next door to the Dalton E. Tucker Primary School; and,
 provide more square footage allowing for increased enrolment in
preschool, an initiative that this Government has made a priority in
its Platform.
Work is presently underway to determine the feasibility of another amalgamation
for September 2013. I will provide this Honourable House with an update the
moment I am in a position to do so.
Cost Centre 27310 (Departmental Support Preschools) was funded $10,000 in
last year’s budget to provide additional funds to individual preschools if needed.
The Ministry of Education did not allocate any similar funding for 2013/2014 as
practically none of the previous year’s funding was utilised.

35
Program 1705 (Primary Schools)
The total budget allocation for our 18 public primary schools is $29,815,000,
which is 8.6% less than in last year’s budget. This reduction is mainly due to
savings achieved in security guard costs as a result of the installation of closed
circuit television cameras, and reduced allocations for office supplies and cleaning
materials. However, this reduction is partially offset by the increase in Cost
Centre 27071 (Office Support), as explained under that caption, for the 13
teachers (10 primary, 1 middle, 2 senior) temporarily placed in that cost centre.
Adjusting for the salaries of these teachers, the funding for primary schools is
5.6% lower than last year.
Cost Centre 27510 (Departmental Support Primary Schools) was funded at
$100,000 in last year’s budget to provide additional funds to individual primary
schools if needed. The Ministry of Education did not allocate any similar funding
for 2013/2014 as none of the previous year’s funding was utilised.
Program 1706 (Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy)
The Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy educates 24 students with specialised
needs with a budget of $723,000, consistent with last year.
Mr. Chairman, turning to Page B-107 – Program 1707 funds our middle schools,
which currently service close to 1,100 students. The aggregated allocation to

36
middle schools for the upcoming budget year is $17,591,000, which is 5.7% lower
than last year’s allocation. As mentioned under the captions for preschools and
primary schools, the reduction is largely due to the cessation of roving security
guard services pursuant to the installation of security cameras in schools and to
reduced allocations for office supplies and cleaning materials. Year-over-year
changes in budgets at the school level are also affected by the number of teachers
and their salaries, which will fluctuate based on student enrollment.
Mr. Chairman, in recent weeks we have heard some concern in this place and in
the public regarding Middle School Education. In my discussions with the
substantive Minister of Education, he has advised me that he found that the
Ministry, principals and teachers were already looking at the middle school
concept and considering what we must do to enhance our outcomes at that level
and to better prepare our students to enter secondary school.
I have noted that this is a standing item in the meeting minutes of the senior
management team of the Department of Education. Most recently, the
Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Bermuda Union of Teachers
and Principals, has established a framework for the transformation of Middle
Schools. The intent of the transformation is to address:
 Public Confidence
 Increased Student Achievement
 Staff Expectations
 Content, Skill, and Knowledge of Educators

37
 Culture and climate of schools
 Currency and relevancy
Discussions have commenced with representatives of the Bermuda Union of
Teachers and Principals to determine the way forward.
Mr. Chairman, in the recent Speech from the Throne, the Government noted its
intent to “begin the necessary steps to introduce an integrated technical
curriculum starting at the middle school level.” I am pleased to announce that
discussions have begun with private sector entities to establish a summer
programme. Although discussion is at an early stage, this initiative focuses on
science, technology and, mathematics. This proposal along with our Career
Pathways programme will help us to determine exactly what technical education
will look like as we are working to transform our middle schools.
Cost Centre 27065 (Departmental Support – Middle Schools) was funded at
$50,000 in last year’s budget to provide additional funds to individual middle
for 2013/2014 as none of the previous year’s funding was utilised.
Program 1708 (Senior Schools)
Mr. Chairman, our two senior schools currently service just under 1,400 students.
According to current figures in the Budget Book, the senior schools are being
allocated additional funds from last year’s budget totaling $641,000, a 2.5%
increase. The aggregate allocation for the upcoming budget year is $26,490,000,

38
of which CedarBridge Academy’s share is $13,868,000. Please note, Mr.
Chairman, that a further amount of $332,000 will be reallocated to CedarBridge
Academy from within the Ministry of Education’s overall budget after the
approval of all budgets. This required change was unfortunately noted once the
deadline to finalise the Estimates proofs had passed. CedarBridge Academy’s
total increase of $360,000 ($28,000 plus $332,000) is to raise CedarBridge
Academy’s grant amount, which was underfunded by $1,050,000 in last year’s
budget due to budgetary cutbacks. This proved to be an unachievable reduction
for the school, as evidenced by their revised estimate for 2012/2013. These
increases are offset by two fewer teacher posts than last year.
The Berkeley Institute was provided an additional $613,000; their projected
expenditure is at $12,622,000. These additional funds are to reinstate Berkeley
Institute’s full grant amount, which was similarly underfunded by $800,000 in last
year’s budget. This increase is offset by three fewer teacher posts than last year.
Cost Centre 27630 (Departmental Support – Senior Schools) was funded at
$50,000 in last year’s budget to provide additional funds to individual senior
for 2013/2014 as almost none of the previous year’s funding was utilised.
Mr. Chairman, before I conclude discussion of the cost centres related to schools,
let me provide an update on our Throne Speech initiative to extend the school
day. I am sure that as you reviewed the Budget Book, you noted that there has
been no funding provided for this programme.

39
It is important to note that our schools presently have afterschool programmes
including various activities such as homework clubs, outward bounds, sports and
the arts. Additionally, the substantive Minister has been approached by several
community stakeholders who wish to provide programming for our students.
These individuals and groups are being encouraged to utilise the afterschool
period so that we provide our students with the greatest range of options to keep
them supervised and productive as they await their parents and guardians to
complete their work day. These entities also have the understanding that they
will independently fund these programmes in support of our children.
In the upcoming year, we will enter into consultation with our Union stakeholders
to consider how we might formalise proposals to extend the school day in the
best interests of our children.
Program 1709 (Curriculum and Assessment)
Cost Centre 27010 (Literacy Initiative) – funds the salaries of six co-teachers who
assist the Literacy Coordinators to deliver the Literacy Collaborative programme.
For the upcoming budget year, an allocation of $508,000 was attributed to this
cost centre, a slight decline from last year.
Mr. Chairman, the Cambridge International Examinations at P6, M3 and S2 are
funded from Cost Centre 27020 (Assessment and Evaluation), which was
allocated a budget of $579,000. Effective the 2012/2013 school year, all S2
students are required to take GCSEs in math, English and science each June. With

40
a year of understanding under our belts of the financial resource requirements for
this cost centre, you will note a reduction of $601,000 from last year’s budget,
the bulk of which is the elimination of local and overseas consulting costs. The
Ministry will instead utilize a “train the trainer” approach at a much lower
investment in teacher honoraria.
The Ministry is presently exploring the expansion of the Cambridge Curriculum
beyond English, Math and Science. Social Studies is presently being vetted and
approved by Cambridge and consideration is also being given to Cambridge
courses including Global Perspectives, Enterprise Education, Physics, Chemistry
and Biology.
You will note that there has also been a substantial decrease in Cost Centre 27520
(Curriculum Implementation). The decrease of $2,280,000 in this cost centre is
largely related to human resources costs: 11 positions that remained vacant for
more than one year were not planned to be filled in the upcoming budget year,
and several other positions that became vacant during the year will remain as
such until the Ministry completes its assessment of the true staff complement
needs of this section. We also eliminated local and overseas consulting costs that
were planned last year but not utilised, and funding of $36,000 for the Waterwise
programme. These savings are offset by an increase of $99,000 for instructional
materials such as teacher guidebooks for lessons and laboratory materials for the
science curriculum, including the chemicals required for experiments.

41
Cost Centre 27524 (Early College and Career Pathways) is a new programme that
started in September 2012 as a result of a Throne Speech initiative that was not
funded in 2012/2013. Mr. Chairman, the Career Pathways Programme is one that
emanated from the Mincy Report, which was commissioned by the Bermuda
Government to explore the reasons why young black males failed to secure
employment in Bermuda’s local economy.
The philosophy of the Career Pathway Programme is one that allows senior school
students in the Bermuda Public School System to develop academic, technical and
employability skills through career pathways in preparation for careers and
college opportunities for a 21st
Century global economy.
The Career Pathway Programme consists of five areas of study: College
Preparation Courses, Applied Technology, Business and Hospitality, Health and
Human Services, and Athletics, Arts and Communication.
The Career Pathway Programme is a one that guides students in a pathway that
provides relevant learning through rigour and first-hand experience. The
programme contains core standards and competencies. The core standards
consist of:
- Communications
- Technical Knowledge and Skills
- Health and Safety
- Technology
- Business and Entrepreneurship

42
- Leadership and Teamwork
- Career Planning and Management
- Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
This is a dynamic partnership between Bermuda’s industry partners, the Ministry
of Education, and the Bermuda College. Our industry partners include 19
companies spanning fields such as banking, healthcare, aviation, automotive, and
television communications, 24 establishments in the hospitality and restaurant
industry, and 10 government ministries. The intent of the programme is to:
 Promote student identification, knowledge and exploration of career and
college options;
 Provide work placements that enable students to observe, experience, and
learn, first-hand work values, skills and practices;
 Provide students with the opportunity to participate in advanced college
preparation and further college readiness; and,
 Foster development of inter-personal communication, relationships,
professionalism and accountability.
Interest and participation levels from industry have surpassed our expectations
and the programme is a big success. Two hundred students from the Berkeley
Institute and CedarBridge Academy are enrolled in the programme and we are
thankful to all of our industry partners for making this a reality.
The allocated funds of $98,000 in 2013/2014 support one administrator and
nominal other costs such as printing, course registration fees and a certification
fee with City and Guilds.

43
Mr. Chairman, I will now provide information on the allocated budget for
Program 1712 (Early Childhood Education).
Early Childhood Education represents the foundation for student success. This is
an area of great concern to us as there has not been leadership in this area over a
period of ten years.
The Department of Education is presently recruiting for an Assistant Director of
Early Childhood and we hope to have this individual in place for September 2013.
Once in post, the Assistant Director will provide leadership in charting the course
for early childhood education, ensure that our practices are aligned with 21st
century practices and develop an appropriate framework to enhance the early
childhood experience and ensure student success later in life.
Cost Centre 27175 (Child Development).
The Child Development Programme has a total budget allocation of $1,718,000,
an increase of $246,000 or 16.7% from the previous budget. In collaboration with
the Ministry of Health, this programme provides early detection of developmental
concerns in children from birth to four years of age, and early intervention
support services to address identified concerns such as learning, psychological,
motor or social deficits. In addition to providing these supports for children and
their families, the Child Development Programme has an overall goal of preparing
children for preschool.

44
It is important to engage the parent and child as soon as possible following
detection of deficits. To ensure early identification and intervention and provide
the best opportunity for student success, the Ministry announced in the recent
Speech from the Throne that the two-year old screenings will be extended and
made mandatory for children age two to four years old. The programme will
therefore fill four existing vacant posts and add two others, bringing the total full-
time equivalents for this programme to 20, including a Quality Child Care Officer
to oversee workshops and services provided to home day care and day care
providers. This represents a net increase of three posts from the 17 posts
planned last year.
Cost Centre 27700 (After Preschool Care) – funds the wages of part-time, hourly
paid employees who provide quality supervision and organized activities to
approximately 220 preschoolers. This year’s budget allocation is consistent with
last year’s, and includes funds for an additional half-time staff member.
SUBSTANTIVE ANALYSIS OF CURRENT ACCOUNT ESTIMATES:
Mr. Chairman, I now refer you to page B-108. The first table on that page
compares the 2013/2014 Estimate of $121,000,000 to the original budget for
2012/2013 of $113,228,000 and highlights the differences between the two years
by expenditure category. I will provide brief explanations for the larger variances:
 Salaries are higher by $9,057,000 in order to fund adequately the Learning
Support, Paraprofessionals, Alternative Education and Substitutes

45
programmes, which last year were not funded to the level necessary due
to budgetary cutbacks, and to fund the salaries of existing but vacant posts
and new posts that will be filled in 2013/2014, such as five Content
Specialists, an autism teacher, the aforementioned posts in the Child
Development Programme, and two Education Officers for Psychology and
School Improvement and Staff Development.
 Other Personnel costs are higher by $142,000, largely related to additional
teacher honoraria in order to leverage a “train the trainer” approach and
save in training costs and consulting fees in the process.
 Training costs are higher by $736,000 in order to adequately fund the
needs of the School Improvement and Professional Development
Programme (Cost Centre 27031), which is responsible for a central training
budget of $1,150,000 (an increase of $925,000) for the professional
development of teaching staff across the school system. This increase is
offset by budget reductions in Curriculum Implementation, the Office of
the Commissioner and Information Technology Support.
 Travel costs are lower by $247,000, the result of continued cost
containment and cost reduction efforts by the Department.
 Communication costs are higher by $433,000, of which $422,000 is in the
Information Technology Support programme for data services for teaching
and learning applications, leased circuits and internet provisioning services
at our hosted data centre, new annual support costs for past acquisitions
and new maintenance agreements.
 Professional Services costs are $911,000 lower. The reduction is mainly in
the Curriculum Implementation programme and in the Office of the

46
Commissioner of Education, in which local and overseas consulting costs
were eliminated due to the adoption of a “train the trainer” approach.
 Rental costs are $261,000 lower, mainly due to savings achieved through
the consolidation of office locations at Southside and the termination of a
lease for the former Lagoon Park Preschool location. The preschool was
moved to Somerset Primary.
 Repair and Maintenance costs are $1,580,000 lower, largely the result of
savings in security monitoring services as a result of the installation of
closed caption television cameras in schools.
 Energy costs are $115,000 higher, mainly due to current electricity usage
rates across the school system and anticipated escalation costs for this
utility service.
 Materials and Supplies are $944,000 lower, largely the result of reduced
allocations for office supplies and cleaning materials across preschools,
primary and middle schools ($642,000) and other programmes.
 Grants and Contributions are $618,000 higher due to the increases in the
operating grants to The Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy. Note
that this difference currently excludes the additional $332,000 that will be
transferred to CedarBridge once budgets are approved, as I referred to
earlier in this document.

47
EMPLOYEE NUMBERS (FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS):
Mr. Chairman, I now refer you to pages B-109 and B-110, which provide a listing
of the number of employees planned for the 2013/2014 fiscal year in the
Department of Education. You will note an overall decrease of 61 posts from the
levels planned in the previous budget, however the correct figure is 60 posts. The
Budget Book should have reflected nine employees in Cost Centre 27700 (After
Preschool Care) instead of eight, bringing the total number of employees for
2013/2014 to 1,185. Mr. Chairman, as previously mentioned in this presentation,
in June 2011 the Ministry eliminated a mix of teaching, paraprofessional and
educational therapist assistant posts. A net reduction of 53 posts was achieved at
the time, and these have been frozen since then as one of our measures to deal
with our funding shortfall in 2012/2013. The Ministry also curtailed the use of
substitute teachers, did not fill some approved and funded posts and did not fill
some posts once vacant to assess the true staff complement needs of certain
sections. Lastly, the Ministry removed funding equivalent to five sabbatical
leaves, as previously explained under the caption of Cost Centre 27030 (Human
Resources). The Ministry plans to fill some important existing posts that are much
needed, such as: five additional Content Specialists in mathematics, science,
physical education and health; an autism teacher for the third classroom that
remains to be opened; the aforementioned posts in the Child Development
Programme; and two Education Officers for Psychology and School Improvement
and Staff Development. Details of the posts will be found in the advertisements
when listed.

48
Mr. Chairman, I also wish to highlight that the column referenced 2011/2012
Actual on pages B-109 and B-110 does not reflect the correct number of
employees for that fiscal year; indeed, the figures shown are those of our original
budget for 2011/2012. The Department of Education (Head 17) had 1,167
employees as at the end of March 2012, or 74 fewer employees than the 1,241
shown in the Budget Book. The error has been pointed out to the Budget Office.
Mr. Chairman, in the first nine months of 2012/2013 and through various means,
the Ministry reduced its total actual expenditure by 10% compared to the same
period last year, and its non-salary expenditure by 22%. We are sensitive to
Bermuda’s current and foreseen economic context, and we are firmly committed
to continuing to manage our overall costs judiciously, including salary and wage
costs. All staffing processes must first be authorised by the Commissioner of
Education and the Permanent Secretary, through well-justified business cases,
regardless of their inclusion in the budget.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES:
Mr. Chairman, I now turn to pages B-111 to B-113. As part of its budget
submission for 2013/2014, the Ministry overhauled its performance
measurement framework to track and monitor its progress towards the
implementation of the Blueprint for Reform in Education and report publicly on its
results achieved versus target outcomes. Members will note, however, that
certain measures come into effect for the 2013/2014 reporting year, and
therefore do not have comparatives in earlier years.

49
HEAD 41 – BERMUDA COLLEGE:
Mr. Chairman, I would now like to move to Head 41, page B-122, Cost Centre
51000 (The Bermuda College’s Operating Grant)
Mr. Chairman, Bermuda College, as the only tertiary level institution in Bermuda,
is committed to setting Bermuda’s students on the paths to success through the
provision of comprehensive academic and technical education along with
professional training, personal and academic support services, quality facilities
and interactive partnerships with local and international entities. As an accredited
community college, Bermuda College is particularly committed to the success of
Bermuda’s students with extensive transfer programmes leading to success at the
university level. It also provides professional, technical and training programmes
leading to success in the workplace; and preparatory programmes leading to
success in the classroom.
2011-2012 Highlights:
During the 2012 Budget Brief, Bermuda College indicated it would introduce the
Associate in Nursing programme to its list of offerings for the next fiscal year, and
last December, officially launched the Bermuda Nursing Education Pathway. This
Programme developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, and the
Bermuda Hospitals Board, and with input from other key stakeholders, is
designed to deliver quality, innovative nursing education and standardise
excellence in nursing practice in Bermuda. The Nursing Education Pathway will
facilitate the demand for local, qualified nurses and equip its graduates with the

50
knowledge and competence to function as nursing professionals anywhere in the
world. Graduates from the programme will have the opportunity to sit the
international licensure examination to become registered nurses. The next step
for Bermuda College is to begin the process to have the programme accredited by
the National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission. The first cohort currently
has 9 students enrolled.
Mr. Chairman, other new programmes developed and introduced this year by the
Division of Professional and Career Education (PACE) based on the needs of the
local workforce per the manpower survey and supported by the National Training
Board included: Horticulture, Food & Beverage Service Certification and the Nail
Technician Certification. The Ministry of Economy, Trades and Industry also
provided financial support to 30 accounting students to take the Certified
Management Accountant, Certified Public Accountant and the Association of
Chartered Certified Accountants programme offered through PACE.
PACE also worked with relevant industry stakeholders to develop and offer the
following workforce development programmes: the Certificate for Dental
Assistants, Personal Fitness Trainer Certification, and the Activities Specialist
Certificate (for seniors’ home employees).
Mr. Chairman, one of Bermuda College’s objectives is to increase the enrolment
and retention of male students. Research shows that the more a student is
engaged with the institution the more likely they are to remain at the institution.
The Registered Student Organisation for males, MENSPEAK, continues to be a

51
positive influence for males on campus as well as in the community. MENSPEAK
hosted a successful Youth Summit in partnership with ACE last March, and for the
first time, sponsored “Men’s Week” in November last year, featuring a week-long
series of activities, including the gallant shaving off of facial hair in support of
Bermuda Cancer & Health; and a power-house forum, dealing with male issues
entitled “Category 5”. MENSPEAK has also partnered with CedarBridge Academy
and its Literacy Project. Bermuda College males spend time with male students at
CedarBridge Academy on a weekly basis to help improve students’ reading
abilities and less ostensibly, to provide a positive male influence.
Mr. Chairman, Science Week continues to be an integral part of the Bermuda
College calendar. Wednesday, January 30, launched the community portion of
Science Week 2013. A capacity-crowd attended the public forum, “Tracking Tiger
Sharks in the Atlantic”, featuring Dr. Neil Burnie and Mr. Choy Aming. They
presented the dynamic work involved in the Bermuda Tiger Shark Project
sponsored by Nova Southeastern University in Florida. As a result of this
collaboration, Bermuda College has purchased a shark tagging device in support
of the Project. Faculty from the Division of Liberal Arts will also join the
expedition on one of its Tiger Shark tagging trips. The forum was sponsored by
the Division of Liberal Arts and remains a popular highlight of the Corange Science
activities promoting natural sciences. The following day, Bermuda College was
inundated with approximately 300 middle and senior high school students from
public, private, and home schools for Science Day 2013, allowing students to
explore both natural and applied sciences with activities organised collaboratively
between the Divisions of Applied Science & Technology, Liberal Arts, Business

52
Administration & Hospitality, and the Nursing Department. Other evening events
held during Science Week 2013 featured a live presentation of the popular "Live,
Love, Eat" culinary arts show with Chef Teneika Eve – again, an oversubscribed
event with over 120 in attendance; and a series of handy Do It Yourself (DIY) mini
workshops teaching basic automotive, plumbing, carpentry and other skills to the
average householder, sponsored by the Division of Applied Science & Technology.
All events recorded higher numbers of attendees than the previous year,
indicating that the now annual event is finding its niche in the community.
Mr. Chairman, two new Honorary Fellows were inducted into the Bermuda
College Company of Honorary Fellows. Dame Jennifer Smith, and Dr. Marion
Robinson were both celebrated for their respective contributions to education in
particular and to the community in general.
Bermuda College partnered with the Department of Corrections during the
Summer of 2012. This partnership allowed for inmates to be transported to the
Bermuda College to provide manual labour. These individuals worked steadily and
were able to complete the exterior painting of three of Bermuda College’s
buildings; College Centre, Hallett Hall and North Hall. This programme saved the
College over $100,000.
In Fall 2012 as part of the intake process for new students, the Counselling and
Career Centre began collecting data that examines the demographic profile of the
new students and explores aspects of his or her expectations, motivations and
concerns. Such measures have assisted Bermuda College in formulating specific

53
strategies, programmes and initiatives germane to the enhanced success of its
students.
Catering company Flying Chef became the new cafeteria vendor on campus. The
contract is awarded for two and a half years and they provide a varied menu at a
reasonable cost to students and employees.
Output measures:
Mr. Chairman, output measures for the College’s activities were as follows:
Bermuda College graduated 94 students with associate degrees, diplomas or
certificates in more than 40 credit programmes.
Division of Applied Science & Technology – 22 Graduates
Certificate in Electrical Wiring Technology – 8
Certificate in Electronics Technology – 1
Certificate in Motor Vehicle Technology – 3
Diploma in Masonry Technology – 3
Diploma in Plumbing Technology – 1
Diploma in Welding Technology – 2
Diploma in Wood Technology – 1
Associate in Science (Electronics) – 1
Associate of Applied Science (Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning – 1
Associate of Applied Science (Motor Vehicle Technology) – 1

54
Division of Business Administration & Hospitality – 45 Graduates
Certificate for Accounting Assistants – 2
Certificate for Office Assistants – 2
Certificate in Office Skills – 1
Diploma in Computer Network Technology – 1
Diploma in Culinary Arts – 5
Diploma in Office Administration – 1
Diploma in Web Development – 1
Associate of Applied Science (Business Administration) – 15
Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts – 2
Associate of Applied Science (Hospitality Management) – 1
Associate of Applied Science (Web Development) – 1
Associate of Arts (Business Administration) – 10
Associate of Science (Computer Information Systems) – 3
Division of Liberal Arts – 27 Graduates
Associate of Arts (Art & Design) – 4
Associate of Arts – 4
Associate of Arts & Science – 4
Associate of Arts (Human Services) – 5
Associate of Science (Actuarial Science) – 2
Associate of Science (Education) – 4
Associate of Science - 4

55
Mr. Chairman, in addition, 16 persons received baccalaureate degrees in business
administration (14) and child and youth studies (2) through the partnership with
Mount Saint Vincent University. There were also four graduates from the
University of Kent’s law programme offered in partnership with Bermuda College.
This past December, 175 persons earned external certificates or professional
designations from external programmes and workforce development training
offered through the Division of Professional and Career Education (PACE) as
shown below:
Certificate for Nursing Assistant – 33
Certificate for Childcare Assistant – 8
Certificate for Activities Specialist – 13
City & Guilds Certificate in Hairdressing – 5
Certificate for Dental Assistants – 6
Certificate in Basic Horticulture – 32
Certificate in Nail Technology – 8
Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) Certificate in Management – 4
ILM Certificate in Team Leading – 13
American Management Association (AMA) Certificate in General
Management – 9
AMA Certificate in Human Resources – 7
AMA Certificate for the Administrative Professional – 2
AMA Certificate in Finance & Accounting – 2
Building Owners & Managers Institute (BOMI) Facilities Management – 4
International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) Certified

56
Administrative Professional – 2
International Driving License (ICDL) – 5
Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) Level 2 Certificate in Legal
Studies – 11
CILEX Level 2 Conveyancing – 5
CILEX Level 2 Principles of Criminal Law – 1
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Diploma in
Accounting and Business – 5
In Fall of 2012 the College enrolled 1,207 students representing a decrease of
5.6% or 71 students. However, there was a 10% increase in the full-time
enrolment from 324 in Fall 2011 to 358 in Fall 2012. The average full-time
enrolment over the past 5 years is 339 or 26%. Hence the College is realising its
objective of increasing full-time enrolment.
Mr. Chairman, for the fourth consecutive year there was an increase in enrolment
in the Professional and Career Education Division. This year’s enrolment was 300
compared to Fall 2011 when it was 267, an increase of 12%.

57
As a means of increasing retention, the College implemented an early alert
system—Retention Alert—as part of the advising programme and there was a 6%
increase in retention in Fall 2012 compared to Fall 2011 and a 2% increase in
Spring 2013 compared to the same time a year ago.
2012-2013 Expenditures:
Mr. Chairman, last year Bermuda College received 81% or $18,119,000 of its
operating budget from its Government grant. Revenue from other sources
contributed $4,241,279 which, together, made for a total revenue figure for the
2012/13 budget year of $22,360,279. During this period a pay freeze streamlined
salaries to $12,911,776, while centralised expenses totalled $3,527,809. Both
figures were lower than the previous year as Bermuda College leveraged staff
FA /12FA /11FA /10FA /09FA /08FA /07FA /06FA /05
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
Semester
NumberofStudents
Full Time
Part Time (Credit)
Part Time (Non Credit)
Variable
358
324
295
358360
289
337
359
496
540
712
677
831
577
546
629
353
414
306
234
175
226
198
220
Time Series Plot: Full Time & Part Time

58
attrition and redistribution of various responsibilities. Included in centralised
expenses are benefits totalling $1,707,824, electricity and insurance costs of
$1,650,000, and other operating expenses amounting to $5,920,694.
Maintenance of the physical plant of Bermuda College continued as part of the
College’s commitment to providing a safe environment for students and
employees. Three specific projects were completed at a cost of less than
$250,000. Bermuda College completed the second phase of its Exterior Lighting
Project in July 2012. The $65,000 Project was spread over two fiscal years and
undertaken as a result of safety concerns by students and staff. Bermuda College
also repaved one of its parking lots as the area was deemed hazardous to
pedestrians. The re-surfacing project was completed at a cost of $42,717.
Additionally, aging Bermuda College buildings have become susceptible to
termites, and during the Summer of 2012, Brock Hall, (the oldest building on
campus) was fumigated at a cost of $117,546.
Bermuda College understands that every little bit helps. In addition to the
discounted tuition that was implemented in Fall 2011, Bermuda College
implemented laboratory fees for various courses effective Fall 2012. These fees
offset the cost of supplies, and a three-year tiered costing schedule will recoup
costs as follows: 10% in Fall 2012, 18% in Fall 2013 and 25% in Fall 2014. The lab
fees are estimated to generate revenue of $14,030 in fiscal 2012, $25,096 in fiscal
2013 and $32,450 in fiscal 2014.

59
2013-2014 Budget Year:
Mr. Chairman, for the upcoming year, the College will be allocated a grant
amount of $18,119,000, which is unchanged from last year and the year prior.
This grant amount funds 81% of the College’s operating budget, of which salary
costs account for 58 percentage points.
Bermuda College continues to utilise internal stakeholders as part of its annual
budget process. The Budget Committee includes representatives from the
Student Government Council, faculty, support staff, members from the Executive
and a selection of budget managers. The goal of the Budget Committee is to
prepare a balanced budget to present to the Board Finance Committee and then
the Board.
With approximately 58% of the College’s budget representing salaries, it is
constantly seeking ways to decrease its payroll costs. Salaries are estimated to be
$12,600,695 for the 2013/14 fiscal year which is a decrease of $311,081 or 2.4%
from the previous year when the College employees took a 6 day furlough.
Mr. Chairman, during the 2013/14 fiscal year Bermuda College will continue its
process of careful operational and procedural reviews in order to increase
efficiencies while lowering costs. Some major capital expenditures will again be
deferred, including restoring a roof ($315,000), road resurfacing ($65,000),

60
additional smart classrooms ($120,000) and the installation of a lift in Brock Hall
($235,000).
Bermuda College will seek to increase its revenue generated from the rental of its
facilities with a marketing campaign and the increase in rent due from Coco Reef
hotel. It is also expecting to generate additional revenue from workforce
development contracts.
Technology will be improved in classrooms and an Open Lab will be designated
for students who may not have access to a computer or the Internet outside of
the campus.
The replacement of some of the College’s old security equipment is imperative, as
it is obsolete and is no longer compatible with the current network systems. This
will greatly enhance the capabilities and efficiency of the Security Department
and ultimately the safety of both students and employees. The College’s
administration building, College Centre, is earmarked for fumigation this summer
as part of the College’s maintenance plan.
The College has also set aside funds for the start-up costs for a new motorcycle
mechanics programme which is being developed in partnership with industry.
Looking Ahead:
Mr. Chairman, during the next fiscal year Bermuda College will conduct a review
of its 2008 Strategic Plan to ensure that it continues to fulfil its core mission of

61
Setting Bermuda’s Students on their Paths to Success. The review will also include
developing strategies for an additional 5 years to 2023, in order that the
strategies remain relevant, yet innovative. The strategic planning process will be
orchestrated in a similar fashion to the 2008 Strategic Plan using the Appreciative
Inquiry approach, and will involve a vast variety of external and internal
stakeholders.
Bermuda College will expand current use of social media and other marketing and
recruitment strategies to continue to market Bermuda College as the logical first
step for quality and affordable higher education for Bermuda’s students. It will
continue to work with high school principals and guidance counselors to facilitate
the higher education potential of advanced students by allowing them to take
college-level courses while still in high school, earning both high school and
transferrable college credits.
It will look to internationalise the campus by introducing cultural exchange
experiences for Bermuda College students and will also investigate short-term
housing options to be able to accommodate overseas students for a “Bermuda
Term”. This investigation involves working with the small guest houses in the
Paget area to house international students at a reasonable cost.
Initially, the Bermuda College would like to see 5 – 10 student exchanges each
year or 10 - 20 students after the initial year. If this is successful the second phase
would be to market to international students to come to Bermuda to complete

62
their associate degree. It is envisioned that the programme would have 40 – 50
students after the 1st
year.
Bermuda College will expand support services to target students most at risk for a
premature exit, using early identification, intervention and impact strategies.
Bermuda College anticipates introducing new partnerships with accredited four-
year institutions in the United Kingdom and/or North America that will deliver
teacher certification and new career pathways in healthcare. Such partnerships
will also seek to aggressively expand areas in professional services, technical
trades and applied sciences to meet local workforce shortfalls.
Mr. Chairman, Bermuda College will continue to forge alliances with professional
credentialing and accrediting agencies for workforce development and
professional certification, such as: Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
(ACCA), Certified Management Accountants (CMA) and Certified Public
Accountants (CPA) for accountants; Charted Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX)
for legal executives; Building Owners and Managers Institute (BOMI) for building
owners and managers; City & Guilds for the applied sciences; and the American
Culinary Federation for culinary arts.
Later this spring the College will open its new Research Centre which will house
the literary works of the late Mr. Brian Burland, Bermuda’s most acclaimed author
and former Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. The College received this
remarkable collection of literary and artistic material from the estate of Mr.
Burland. The Research Centre will be a special place that celebrates the

63
contributions of outstanding Bermudian authors and becomes a repository for
this unique portion of Bermuda’s culture.
To support the new nursing programme curriculum, the College will establish a
state-of-the-art Nursing Simulation Laboratory in Tech Hall. The laboratory will
allow students to combine theoretical and practical knowledge in a dynamic
learning environment.
A Request for Proposal to operate the Child Care facility, which was funded
through last year’s grant, will be issued shortly with the intent for the facility to be
operational for the start of the 2013-2014 academic year.
Mr. Chairman, after years of inactivity the Bermuda College Faculty Association
has been reborn. This Association will be the forum for professional discussions
on pedagogical matters and areas of concern to the College and faculty. It will
also promote intellectual and social activities and organise professional
development activities for faculty. Funds will be set aside during the next fiscal
year to assist the Association with its goals.
Over this next fiscal year, Bermuda College looks forward to doing its part to
stimulate the economy and making Bermuda more competitive by fulfilling its
mission of setting Bermuda’s students on their paths to success.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement on the Ministry of Education’s budget
for the fiscal year 2013/2014.

Ministry of Education Budget Briefing Highlights Key Funding

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