'Isn’t fair to anyone': Urban Sask. school divisions seek mid-year funding adjustment as enrolment surges
Saskatchewan school divisions are requesting a mid-year funding adjustment from the ministry of education as enrolment continues to rise.
Since September, both of Regina’s school divisions have seen enough new students for each of them to fill a new school.
“We’ve seen 600 students come to our schools since Sept. 30, when we would have received our funding adjustment. That’s put significant pressures on many aspects of educating those 600 students,” Darren Boldt, the director and CEO of Regina Public Schools, said.
“We have not been able to add staff because of not receiving funding for those students. There’s extra transportation costs, there’s costs all over the place that would be included in trying to provide an education for those students.”
Regina Catholic Schools are also facing those pressures.
“We currently have 450 students in our division who are unfunded,” Shauna Weninger, the board chair for Regina Catholic Schools, said.
This week, the Regina Public School Board received its quarterly financial report.
It read “based on the second quarter forecast, the statement of operations shows an operating deficit on a cash basis of $7.9M – approximately $5.4M higher than the $2.5M budgeted cash deficit.”
The school division said it needs to see more funding – and fast – in order to avoid harsh decisions down the line.
“We’re hoping for some budget adjustments mid-year to help us manage the growth that’s a little bit unprecedented,” Boldt said.
“We want to affect classrooms and learning as much as possible, but with the budget we have we’re going to see impacts across our entire division. We’ll see potentially increased class sizes, we’ll see other areas where we might have to increase fees – it’s going to be very difficult.”
Regina Public Schools said it’s working with the other urban school divisions to request the mid-year adjustment from the ministry. Essentially, the adjustment would take the new students into consideration and offer more money to divisions to reflect that.
“Both of the divisions in Saskatoon are in the same situation. We’ve spoken with their directors and they’re seeing the exact same pressures. A number I’ve seen is roughly 1,700 new students in the four urban school divisions since Sept. 30,” Boldt said.
Currently, the provincial government bases its funding on enrolment numbers as of Sept. 30. School divisions submit enrolment predications in January for the upcoming year.
The Regina school divisions say over the past two years, immigration has created unpredictable enrolment throughout the school year.
“It’s a huge celebration to have immigration of any kind or enrolment growth of any kind,” Weninger said.
“But it isn’t fair to anyone arriving or anyone that’s currently here to not be funded.”
Weninger said it also expands the service needs for schools, as they need to consider increased mental health supports and language barriers.
The Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) said it’s not surprised some school divisions are calling for the funding adjustment. Enrolment growth, inflation and necessary program development are all adding to financial strain in schools across the province.
“This is just evidence of the kinds of budgets that we’re seeing in Saskatchewan that are predictably short and predictably short sighted. It doesn’t have to be that way,” Jaimie Smith-Windsor, president of the SSBA, said.
“The growth that we’re seeing in classrooms and in schools is a beautiful thing, but it needs to come with the kind of investment that allows boards to provide stability.”
On Thursday, the minister of education said he’s aware of enrolment surges throughout the school year over the past two years.
“Are we going to continue to see school divisions see more students all throughout the school year? If that’s the case, then maybe we do have to look at the way that we adjust and reconcile enrolment,” Dustin Duncan, the minister of education, said.
“I’m certainly willing to have a conversation with the school divisions to see if there is a different process that we need to ensure that funding is really in line where with enrolment growth is.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.