RRVSD continues technological improvements

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/03/2017 (3363 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Red River Valley School Division superintendent Pauline Lafond-Bouchard said the division’s new fibre optic system will help keep staff and students connected online.

While the division is committed to continuing its technological upgrades, Lafond-Bouchard said the 2017-18 budget planning was tough as provincial funding to all Manitoba school divisions decreased. “That definitely affected the budget. We got two per cent less than last year.”

RRVSD’s 2017-18 budget shows revenue of $31.6 million, up from $30 million for 2016-17, a 5.3 per cent increase.  Expenses for the next school year are estimated at $31.1 million compared to $29.9 million for 2016-17, which is an approximate increase of four per cent.

Owners of residential property within the division assessed at $100,000 will see an average increase of $47 for education tax on their 2017 municipal tax bills, while the bill for farm property assessed at $100,000 per quarter-section will be $27 higher.
Board trustees voted to accept the budget on March 6.

Compensation in the form of salaries and benefits comprises over 82 per cent of the 2017-18 budget. Expenses for 2017-18 also include funding for increased vice-principal, social worker and guidance counsellor time, professional development for bus drivers and mechanics, pilot video conferencing for two Hutterite colony schools, support for student course fees, and extending the Employee Assistance Program for support staff.

Lafond-Bouchard said no new projects or programs are planned for Oak Bluff, Sanford or Starbuck schools. The repair work underway at J.A. Cuddy School following a September 2016 fire is expected to be completed by the start of the 2017-18 school year.

Lafond-Bouchard is retiring at the end of this school year with Brad Curtis stepping into the superintendent role as of Aug. 1. Curtis has been principal of Sanford Collegiate since August 2002 and has worked in the RRVSD for 17 of the 27 years he’s been in education.

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