WSD draft budget proposes property tax hike to offset funding reduction

WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg School Division said there are no additions in its 2020-2021 draft budget, but also no subtractions when it comes to programs and services.

“Overall, this is a good news budget because we are able to meet the current needs of students with our existing funds, largely because of savings in utility costs due to the past few years of mild winters,” said Arlene Reid, finance committee chair of the WSD board of trustees, in a news release.

The board of trustees is proposing a budget of just over $421 million, which will mean a 1.44 per cent increase on property taxes in the area or about $21 a year for the average home. Reid said the increase of the property tax levy will offset the point four per cent reduction in provincial funding, caused by lower enrolment.

She also noted the school division autonomously chose to reduce travel expenses years ago, before the province told it to.

“We recognize that professional development opportunities are necessary to ensure we are providing good leadership, but we believe that through shared learning and online seminars, we can keep our travel costs to the low rate seen in the report released last week by the province,” she said.

The news release said the education minister has also asked school divisions to reduce management by 15 per cent, a directive the board of trustees is reviewing.

“WSD is a large organization with highly diverse student needs and supports. We are already operating on a very lean budget, nonetheless, we intend to continue delivering quality education that results in the continuous improvement we’ve reported in our Framework for Continuous Improvement,” said Reid.

“We are committed to our students and ensuring they are successful in their learning careers.”

The public is invited to weigh in on the budget by email, in writing or by registering to appear in person as a delegation at a future meeting.

Correction:

In its initial news release, the school division omitted the word 'point' when referring to the point four per cent reduction in provincial funding. This story has been amended to reflect the corrected figure.