Budgeting is a fine balance for brighter futures

St. Boniface

St. Vital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/01/2025 (614 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Budget season is upon us. The annual budget is one of the school board’s key responsibilities, and we approach this time of decision-making with a sense of hope and purpose.

The Louis Riel School Division board, with your input and support, will create a financial path forward that will ensure that the students will receive the programming and educational support necessary to achieve success. Their success creates a positive future for all of us and is one of the most important investments a community can make. The LRSD multi-year strategic plan is the blueprint that focuses on our needs and goals. Be sure to review this document to inform your understanding of the direction LRSD is taking.

We all know that prices for the basics in our households have increased. The same is true for our schools. In addition, our student population has grown. You can see those live numbers on the student enrolment dashboard, which is accessible on our website at lrsd.net. You can also view our LRSD 2034 plan and the annual school-building review, providing big-picture budget information.

The provincial government has many competing priorities and is doing its best to provide financial support. Your school board has the job of working with that funding and deciding on how to prioritize and balance any shortfall. It is a huge responsibility and one we take seriously.

The LRSD’s senior leadership team spends hours preparing the information we need to inform our discussions. There are many ways to make your thoughts known to the school board members and senior leadership. Please take the time to go to the LRSD website to offer your opinions through the ThoughtExchange, attend the public budget meeting, either in person or virtually, on Feb. 28, or contact your trustee throughout the process.

Patience and commitment ensure investments allow us to reach our goals over time. The results of your investments last year are significant. We are so excited about the initial success of full-say kindergarten and the ability to keep class sizes down. Please consider this when information about tax decisions is shared with the community. The balance of what we need and can afford is the exercise we all are familiar with when determining a financial plan.

We are working hard to listen to our community, to use data to inform our decisions, and, most importantly, to provide a learning environment and experience that will meet the needs of all our students.

This budget year, let’s focus on bright futures for our children and the LRSD community.