The provincial government is holding the line when it comes to school funding for 2019-20.
That’s the view of Bart Michaleski who thinks the province is focused more on the education review this year.
Mounting View School Division is getting a 0.7 per cent reduction in funding which comes out to 22.1 million dollars.
“Our announcement was slightly better than it was last year because we had an enrolment increase this fall that we weren’t expecting. And any time your enrolment goes up, it does affect your formula calculations. So last year when we received our formula our enrolment had gone down slightly. That’s why we were a little more negatively affected last year.”
In the 2018-19 school year, the province had given MVSD a 0.8 per cent reduction.
“Our expectations going into the year was that the announcement would be similar. We didn’t think that the announcement would province more money than last year. As well, last year’s announcement put a cap on how much we could increase our property taxation and that same rule applies this year as well.”
Funding in Manitoba is calculated using the Funding of Schools Program formula, which guarantees divisions receive at least 98 per cent of the previous year’s total.
The province is directing divisions to cap increases to their local education property tax at two per cent for the 2019-20 school year and is asking them to continue to reduce administrative costs.
Michaleski says MVSD is in a slightly better situation this year.
