Manitoba NDP promises inflation-rate increase to school operating funding, says trustees can raise taxes
New measures include funding for school nutrition program, hiring 30 more teachers
Manitoba school divisions will see their annual operating funding climb just under the province's inflation rate for 2023, with the government giving trustees the option to raise property taxes if they find that money isn't enough.
Schools in the province will see an average operational funding boost of 3.4 per cent for the upcoming school year, meaning school divisions will receive an additional $51.5 million, some of which will be used to deal with increasing enrolment.
However, once new initiatives are included, the total funding increase for kindergarten to Grade 12 schools is $104.9 million.
That additional $53.4 million includes $27.5 million for new initiatives like making school nutrition programs available across the province and $3 million to hire 30 teachers, who will be directed to schools with large elementary class sizes.
"Today, as the minister, I'm proud to say our government is funding schools at the level they need," Education Minister Nello Altomare told a crowd of students, school administrators and media at Joseph Teres School in Winnipeg on Thursday.
"We're going to deliver stable, predictable funding that meets their operational needs so kids succeed and teachers and all other support staff are supported in the important work that they do."
Property taxes could rise
This year, school divisions won't be penalized for raising taxes if they deem the provincial grant inadequate.
The former government ordered a multi-year freeze on property taxes, but two school divisions increased them in 2023 anyway, because they felt the government's top-up wasn't sufficient.
Altomare said he wouldn't direct school boards on this issue one way or the other.
"We trust school divisions to make their choices that will impact positively their community," he said.
"They are certainly in touch with their community members, and we trust them to do the right thing when it comes to that," he said, explaining the "right thing" is to support students.
The new funding to hire 30 additional teachers will help the province get closer to its goal of one teacher for every 20 students in early-years classrooms, Altomare said.
As part of this pledge, the province will require school divisions to publish their class sizes online.
The former Progressive Conservative government in 2023 boasted of a total year-over-year funding increase of 6.1 per cent, or $100.2 million. While the increase was welcomed, some school divisions still made cuts, saying the increase didn't undo years of underfunding from the same government. The NDP total of $104.9 million more funding is a slightly lower percentage increase in the $1.8-billion public schools budget than the PCs' $100.2 million.
Manitoba Teachers Society president Nathan Martindale said educators endured a "little bit of a yo-yo effect" under the Tory administration with unreliable funding amounts over the years.
Martindale said the teachers' society still had to crunch the numbers to determine whether funding allocations are sufficient.
Interim Progressive Conservative Leader Wayne Ewasko, who was education minister under the previous government, said his party had to deal with challenges like the pandemic and a funding formula heavily based on varying enrolments. He said the 6.1 per cent total funding increase his party ushered in was the biggest in more than 40 years.
Ewasko said that with the freeze on property tax increases gone, Manitobans should brace for higher taxes.
"The education minister is going to turn a blind eye and blame school divisions, and then the premier is going to blame school divisions for that," Ewasko said.
River East Transcona School Division board chair Colleen Carswell said the division took out a loan last year to cover some of its costs.
She's hopeful the board won't have to resort to such measures again.
"Being able to work with a government that wants to hear both our concerns and our successes that we're having is just immeasurable for us," Carswell said.
Funding increases vary
The amount operating funds will increase this year will vary by school division, ranging from a low of 0.6 per cent to a high of 10 per cent for Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine. Some of the lowest amounts are for school divisions facing shrinking student populations.
Within Winnipeg, the River East Transcona, Seven Oaks and Louis Riel school divisions will each receive a bump of 4.7-5.6 per cent.
Pembina Trails can expect an increase of two per cent, while the Winnipeg School Division can anticipate a boost of one per cent and St. James-Assiniboia an increase of 0.7 per cent.
The overall funding bump for each division will be higher than the operating amount because it'll also include the new school nutrition programs.
Even still, Ewasko said the upcoming distribution isn't fair for all schools. Ten school divisions are receiving a one per cent operating grant funding increase, or less.
"I think they had time, whilst they were in Opposition to come forward with a plan if they didn't like our plan. I don't see a plan, I see delay."
Matt Henderson, Winnipeg School Division superintendent, wasn't available for an interview, but said in a statement the division would deliver the highest quality education "with the funds we have available to us."
The Manitoba School Boards Association said in a statement the government is making "the right choice" of providing more funding to the education sector while it's still dealing with significant fiscal pressure.
It particularly praised the increases meeting inflation rates, but warned schools receiving less are still facing tough times.
"Many divisions will continue to struggle in light of growing underfunding as has occurred for many years," the association said in a statement. "Notwithstanding, the public has our assurance that the most essential needs of the education system will continue to be met."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
