Public schools brace for budget impact

Along with the STC, health, and Saskatchewan cities, Regina’s public schools are also feeling the effects of provincial budget, predicting a nearly $10 million deficit.

The Regina Public School Board met Tuesday to discuss how the budget will affect them in the 2017-18 school year.

The province announced there would be a 1.2 per cent cut to school division operational funding, equivalent to $22 million. In minutes from the meeting on its website, the public school board said, due to differences in the province’s fiscal year and the board’s, the funding decrease would actually be a 2.9 per cent decrease, equivalent to $54.2 million. The board also said funding will be reduced by $2.5 million because the government is implementing recommendations from a January report about the funding distribution model for Education Pre-K-12.

In total, the board is predicting a deficit of about $9.5 million.

Three joint-use schools, two rebuilt schools and 575 new students will be added to the division in the 2017-18 school year.

The board said the government provided significant funding for the new schools, which will open in September.

The government also increased funding for the Preventative Maintenance and Renewal of school division facilities.

The board recognized the budget will negatively impact school families and services.

Once a plan to deal with the shortfall has been figured out, it will be shared with school families and staff to provide time for necessary adjustments.