ValleyBiz Story |
The Swan Valley School Division (SVSD) held a Public Budget Consultation Meeting on March 6, 2017.
The evening marked the start of blizzard conditions in the Valley and there were only a handful of public attendees.
Superindentendent/CEO Tim Mendel presented an overview of SVSD priorities and strengths before shifting the focus of the meeting to the challenges and the impact on the 2017/2018 budget.
The SVSD experienced a 2% reduction in Provincial Funding totaling about $240,000. The initial draft of the 2017/2018 Budget showed a shortfall of $1.37 million which would have translated into an approximate 11.17% local levy increase. Recognizing that was not feasible, the budget was reviewed to identify areas the could be cut to reduce expenditures.
In the Proposed Budget presented to the public, the shortfall had been reduced to $26,787 through reductions in planned enhancements and strategic plan rollout, programming and staffing as well as reductions in capital expenditures and departmental budgets. The most significant reduction came from the elimination of the Junior Kindergarten program, which receives no provincial funding, for a budgeted savings of $180,000. “The feeling was we needed to cut it now in order to save the full time “K” [kindergarten] program down the road and so that we wouldn’t have to cut other programs.” said Mendel.
At the end of the budgeting process, the SVSD is looking at a 5.5% increase in the SVSD Special Levy resulting in a proposed 2017 mill rate of 14.04, up from 13.436 in 2016. As outlined in the SVSD handout, this represents an increase (per $100,000 of assessed value) of approximately $15.70 for farmland, $27.17 for residential and $39.25 for commercial properties.
“The crunch on the budget is not a one year deal.” said Mendel while discussing future considerations to help offset the decreased enrollment and resulting decrease in Provincial Funding to the SVSD.
A key area of focus was how to minimize the impact of underutilized space within the school division. “Right now we have space for roughly 3,000 students and we only have about 1,300 to 1,400.” stated Mendel. With school enrollment sitting at half of what it was in 1972, the SVSD is operating at approximately 59% of it’s student capacity with some schools as low as 20%. Considerations for further analysis included consolidating the Early Years and Middle Years schools in Minitonas, renting out unused space and reconfiguring the grade allocation of students between schools. A reduction in the number of School Board Trustees from 9 to 7 by the next general municipal election was also recommended.
In closing Mendel stated, “I think the board, over the next two to four years, is going to have to take on some pretty challenging decisions. Just essentially serving notice that we need to look at this as a community.” Presenting some final questions for consideration, he asked, “If you want to keep all the programming and have quality programs, what is it you want to spend money on? Empty buildings and replacing windows in classrooms where kids aren’t in the class, or do you want it on actual people and actual programming?”
More detailed information is available in the handout provided during the meeting. Click here to view a copy.