Seine River division reverses course on bus, kindergarten fees

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This article was published 15/11/2023 (687 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Elected officials in the Seine River School Division have abandoned plans to start charging families for extended-day kindergarten and hyper-local bussing in the new year, and asked administrators to find another way to recuperate roughly $500,000.

“We’re going to have to find (the money) somewhere else and no decision is going to be easy,” said Wendy Bloomfield, chairwoman of the board of trustees for St. Norbert, Lorette and neighbouring communities.

The rural division is facing a $1.3-million deficit that is, in part, the result of budgeting errors revealed publicly last week.

The miscalculations — which have been under investigation since July — prompted a delay in SRSD’s annual audit. Trustees are anticipated to receive the results of an official report into the board’s 2022-23 finances later this week.

Over the last two weeks, SRSD trustees and administrators have been met with widespread backlash in response to an announcement the division is introducing related “cost saving measures” mid-way through the academic year.

The board office has initiated a hiring freeze, directed principals to pause non-essential expenditures, and established new minimum staff absenteeism thresholds before schools can request external support.

Until Tuesday, administration was also going to introduce new parent fees between January and June — $10-a-day to access a school-readiness program and a cumulative $200 per child to access bussing to and from an elementary school located within 0.8 and 1.6 kilometres of a family’s home.

“There is mixed feelings. There is mixed feelings of relief, and there’s also mixed feelings of what’s going to happen — but right now, we as parents in the community feel like we’ve been heard,” said Shelby Baron, a mother from La Broquerie.

Bloomfield, a veteran trustee, put forward a motion in favour of axing the fee-for-service plans during the board’s latest public meeting.

The board chairwoman cited “a sense of urgency on the part of parents,” and concerns her and her colleagues do not have enough information about the state of the division’s finances in order to proceed with last-minute and wide-reaching cutbacks.

The majority of trustees supported the action. Representatives Gary Nelson, Marinus Van Osch and Robert Rivard of SRSD Wards 1, 2 and 3, respectively, voted against it.

When reached by phone Wednesday, Bloomfield said there are too many variables — including uncertainty surrounding subsidy applications and how many families would de-register from the Kids at Play (KAP) program if it was no longer free — to proceed.

“The board has been struggling with this and trying to figure this out. None of these decisions are what any of us want to make or wish to make. We’re stuck with something that occurred and we’re still trying to figure out how (the budget errors) all occurred.”–Wendy Bloomfield

“The board has been struggling with this and trying to figure this out. None of these decisions are what any of us want to make or wish to make. We’re stuck with something that occurred and we’re still trying to figure out how (the budget errors) all occurred,” she said.

There are 350 children or 100 per cent of kindergarten students in Seine River participating in the free KAP program at present. These young learners spend a half-day with a teacher and the rest with an early childhood educator who runs play-based programming that complements the kindergarten curriculum.

Baron, a mother of two elementary schoolers, said her son is among many first-year students who have found great success in the program.

“This is preparation for (kindergartners) to go into the full physical school routine, starting Grade 1,” she said.

Following this week’s events, Baron said she is hopeful KAP will continue being offered at no charge for the remainder of the school year. At the same time, the mother said she anticipates it will be cut entirely in 2024-25 and fears other families will miss out in the future.

Administrators have been asked to create alternative proposals to find about $500,000 in savings.

The senior leadership team is anticipated to table its recommendations during the next public meeting Nov. 28.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca