The Hanover School Division (HSD) Board of Trustees has approved its budget for the next school year.
Ron Falk, the chairperson for the board's finance committee, says that includes $136.6 million in combined operating and capital expenditures.
"That's reflecting a 5.87 per cent increase over the previous year," he says, and adds the division's provincial funding has only increased by 2.2 per cent.
"We think (that's) a little on the thin side, because we have a lot of growth in this area here. The provincial average is 3.4 per cent, so we feel it should have been a little higher. But anyway, that's what we're getting this tear, and so we just have to work with that," Falk says.
Falk says the budget considers numerous factors, including enrollment growth. The division is expected to swell by just over 130 students.
"We've budgeted for 12 additional teachers. Eight of those are specifically for growth, just more kids showing up. But with that you need more clinician time, psychologist time, and learning support teachers," he says, adding HSD has budgeted for 14 additional Educational Assistants (EA).
In fall, it laid off dozens of EAs due to losing Jordan's Principle funding.
Falk says $1.1 million needs to be replaced due to the change in funding, but not all the positions vacated can be filled as there is not enough money to do that.
There won't be significant changes to with U.S. implementation of tariffs, he adds.
"I'm sure they'll have some kind of effect here, on maybe some oof the supplies that we have to purchase form the U.S., but we mostly deal with people... and so tariffs don't effect that," he explains. "We won't be really stressed out about that in the school division."
Another big part of the budget — weighing in at around $1 million — is Parkhill School, which is hoped to be ready for students by the 2025/26 school year.
"50 per cent of it goes toward things like furnishings and fixtures, and then the other 50 per cent is kind of an ongoing expenditure, with the teachers, principals, library staff, custodians, heating, lighting, all that kind of stuff," the chairperson says.
Six additional school busses have also been budgeted for, though Falk says, if the division had more money they could likely do with another.
Regular school capital projects, like replacing a maintenance truck, are also looped in.
He says there will also be some changes to how residents' tax bills look.
- The Manitoba School Boards Association offers resources to help understand the connection between property assessments and education funding.
- A list of resources from the Manitoba Government on education funding.
Due to a provincial property value assessment, and the need for more funding, the 2025 mill rate will be 12.36 per cent. That's three per cent less than the year before, which is beneficial for taxpayers.
However, provincial changes to the tax credit system will also impact people's bills.
"The way they've changed it is, if your house is assessed at $354,000... There's no change in taxes. If your house value is less than that, there's actually a decrease in taxes, and if the house value that more than that, there's an increase in taxes," Falk says.
"So that's quite a change from what they had before."
Impacts will vary based on individual reassessment factors, and the Provincial Homeowners Affordability Tax Credit.
Now that the budget has been approved, Falk says the HSD will dive into the hiring process to fill needed positions.
The budget officially comes into effect on July 1 of this year.