The report card is in on the final day of school.
Increased funding, but still a budget deficit for the Chinook School Division in the 2025-26 school year.
The Chinook School Division trustees approved a budget that includes a $2.4 million deficit, down from a projection of $2.9 million.
"The board worked hard on the budget," said Director of Education Mark Benesh. "The board is committed to still investing in schools, which is partly why the deficit. We're celebrating the fact that we have a mental health initiative. The board is investing in youth workers who will support all of our schools across the division. They've also invested in some additional coaching and other supports that we hope will have a positive impact on student learning and in support for teachers across the division."
The school division received $92.4 million in operating grants, an 8.8% increase in funding, which Benesh noted is mostly tied to the new provincial collective bargaining agreement with teachers.
They've still had to dip into their nearly $12 million of reserves to fund the deficit.
"Rather than make reductions in service, the board is committed in the short term anyway, in investing some of those dollars to ensure that we're maintaining and even increasing the level of supports for schools," Benesh said. "They are hoping that additional dollars continue to come. The last two budgets, the provincial government has invested a few more dollars in education, and we're hopeful that will continue."
He said they received $1.2 million in additional provincial funding to support the inflationary costs relating to transportation.
That is the biggest cause of the recent deficits.
"Our costs where we would exceed our budgets and the dollars that are given from the ministry are in transportation," Benesh said. "They are in teacher staffing and more recently in EA supports. We've invested to ensure that our classrooms across the division are meeting the needs of students, but they are exceeding the dollars that the ministry targets based on our size of division for the number of teachers and students that we have. Those three areas are where our deficit would be created, but that's based on having shortfalls year after year."
He added they are grateful to the province for the first portion of funding for renovations at the Swift Current Comprehensive High School and an increase of $819,000 in Preventative Maintenance and Renewal funding.