Seine River passes budget with big tax and teacher increases

There will be 27 more teachers and professional staff, plus another 35 support staff positions in Seine River School Division (SRSD) this fall after the school board passed its $63.26-million budget March 11.

That is $11 million more than last year, with SRSD still on track to have its last deficit budget next year.

Taxes will go up for most with the mill rate staying the same and the average assessment up 22.9 percent.

SRSD is collecting $9.26 million more with its special levy on property taxes, a 31.4 percent increase. That includes new properties that have recently been developed and money from homes being worth more.

The board decided not to lower the mill rate to alleviate some of that increase in assessment, so the average home will be paying more. For example, a home that was valued at $350,000 on average will now be worth over $420,000, and pay $247 more in school taxes even with a larger provincial tax credit.

Secretary treasurer Karastin Michalycia said years under the previous government when divisions were told not to raise school taxes is having an effect now.

“I would say that’s affected where we’re at today with what I would refer to as I guess the yo-yo effect. Where we’re at now is because of those years of non-taxation or maybe not using any of the assessment increases,” said Michalycia during the meeting.

But not everyone’s taxes are going up. With the new flat provincial rebate of $1,500 replacing the percentage formula, homes valued at $263,089 or less will not pay school taxes.

Farms still have a 50 percent rebate on their school taxes.

The increase in teachers, EAs and other student service staff comes after cuts last year to tackle the deficit.

SRSD was tied for the worst pupil to teacher ratio in the province at 14.7. This budget makes it 14.2 and returns the number of full-time equivalent EA positions to 2021 numbers, when enrolment was 660 students lower.

“We are moving the needle but there’s still work that needs to be done,” said superintendent Colin Campbell at the board meeting.

Student enrolment is now almost 5,000, and space is running out in schools in communities like Ste Anne, where they are still waiting for an announcement to replace the new vocational high school promised by the last government and cancelled by the current NDP government. Education Minister Tracy Schmidt hinted there would be an announcement in the not-to-distant future when she spoke with The Carillon after new school announcements in Winnipeg.

The new spending also proposes eliminating fees for mandatory band programs, purchasing band instruments, more money for school teams and specialized equipment, four new buses and two new bus routes.

School board trustee for Ward 2 (St. Adolphe, Iles des Chenes and Lorette) Marinus Van Osch was the only one of the nine trustees who voted against the budget based on the large tax increase many will be receiving.

Van Osch said he is one of the property owners whose assessment is up over 20 percent. While he said administration is doing a good job, he could not support such a drastic tax and expense increase.

“Last year we cut a handful of teachers, we’re adding… [27]. We cut a few more EAs, we’re adding 35. A handful of divisional staff and we’re adding seven or eight.

“We’ve gone too far. There’s no balance here, we’re just buying our way out of this,” said Van Osch.