The Lakehead District School Board says it will have a balanced budget in the next school year.

The public-school board passed the budget at their monthly meeting on Tuesday.

The capital and operating budget is just over $180 million.

That’s an increase of about $8.8 million from last year.

The budget also includes a number of new programs including: the Edge Hockey Academy, the Westgate Hospitality Specialist High Skills Major, and the Superior Environmental Specialist High Skills Major.

The Lakehead Board also announced that Dave Olenik will be the lead instructor for its brand new LPS Edge: Excellence in Hockey and Academics skills academy.

Olenik is currently a teacher at the board and has more than 20 years of elite coaching experience in Thunder Bay, including leadership roles with both the Thunder Bay Kings and Thunder Bay Queens.