Winnipeg School Division passes smaller budget

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/03/2021 (1729 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

School resource officers, a milk subsidy and non-salary expenses at schools are being cut from the 2021-2022 Winnipeg School Division budget, but physiotherapy and occupational therapy for special needs students will remain.

The Winnipeg School Division announced a budget of $421,039,400 for the upcoming school year, with a reduction of $4,457,395 in cuts, on March 9.

Provincial funding to Winnipeg’s largest school division dropped by 1.6 per cent or $2,926,520 for the coming school year. The provincial government directed school divisions throughout the province to freeze property tax levies at 2020 levels, leading to a reduction of 0.54 per cent on the property tax levy for WSD homeowners, or a decrease of about $8 a year on the average assessed home value of $225,700.

In a press release, board chair Betty Edel said, “The province has also made it impossible for us to raise revenue through property taxes to be able to fund programs that are unique and valued within the WSD community.”

Edel noted that community feedback supported a small property tax increase to maintain programs and services.

“While we voted in favour of passing this budget, it was with great reluctance on the part of all trustees, as we recognize the impact these cuts will have on safety, nutrition and student supports,” she said in the release.

The School Resource Officer program is being cut completely effective July 2021. The cut of $537,174 is being made for financial reasons, as results of an internal assessment are currently being collated and have not yet been presented to the board.

The WSD will also be reviewing the safety outcomes related to increased 30 kilometres per hour zones around schools to reduce the number of adult crossing guards. This is expected to result in savings of approximately $164,250 in the annual budget. 

The entire $210,000 milk subsidy for students starting in September will also be cut. However, milk will be available for purchase at the cost price to the division.

The division has reorganized four learning assistance centres and three language centres, so students will no longer have to travel outside their home communities. As a result, an estimated two bus routes can be eliminated for savings of $98,444.

Trustees also chose to reduce cuts to non-salary expenses in schools from 20 per cent to 14 per cent, for a savings of $1,033,267. Savings in utilities, unfilled support position vacancies, cell phone reimbursements, enrolment reductions and converting 12-month clerical positions in schools to 10-month positions adds another $2,414,260 to the required budget cuts for 2021-2022.

Trustees responded to strong community support for continued WSD funding of occupational and physiotherapy programming, removing it from the proposed cuts.

Education expenditures are made up mainly of salaries for instruction and student support services – approximately 75 per cent of the total budget. Operations and maintenance of schools is approximately 12 per cent, transportation is just under two per cent and administration costs continue to be 2.7 per cent.