Seine River School Division budget proposes raising taxes 11.4 percent

The Seine River School Division has proposed 11.4 percent mill rate hike next fall to address growing classroom sizes and hiring more teachers.

The division’s $81.5-million budget for the 2026-2027 school year was presented to school board trustees on Feb. 24.

Superintendent Colin Campbell said the tax rise for rate payers is an indicator that the division is growing and more staff are needed to provide quality education.

“When student numbers rise, staffing levels need to keep pace or our class-size ratios worsen,” he told The Carillon. “Once you fall behind in that pupil-teacher ratio, it’s difficult to improve.”

Budget dollars included adding 6.25 “classroom relief” teachers and upping the division’s pool of permanent substitute teachers, known as itinerant teachers, from five to eight educators.

Staff wages and benefits spending rose by 8.2 percent, with it making up 84 percent of the division’s budgeted expenses. The division also saw a 5.7 percent boost in provincial funding. Manitoba will also provide a $249,000 grant, which will cover roughly half of the division’s teacher wage harmonization costs.

While he appreciates Manitoba’s funding, Campbell said it only maintains current services for the students already in schools without accounting for the growing population.

The division has seen its population grow by more than 800 students in five years, with 140 students added this school year alone. The pupil-teacher ratio sits at 14:1 and has division tied for the second lowest in the province, according to Seine River School Division 2025-2026 data. The division included classroom teachers, principals, vice-principals, consultants and clinicians in that ratio. Division administration noted the ratio would be higher if those staff aren’t included. Other divisions and the province calculate the ratio differently.

Campbell said more schools and classrooms are needed to address the rising number of students. It’s difficult to budget funding for more teachers if there’s no place to put them, he added.

More clinical supports for students were added to address case loads, with funding dedicated to hire two psychologists and two school councillors. Campbell told trustees the existing level supports have 50 students per one psychologist, which makes wait lists long.

The municipal and provincial funding assessment per student dropped by $4,000, which Campbell said lags behind other school divisions in the province.

The school board froze its special requirement amount, the annual amount of funding needed from municipalities, for the first time division history to keep the education tax increase manageable. Homes valued at $375,000 can expect an estimated $12.06 increase per month to the property tax bill. The 2027-2028 budget could see the mill rate rise two percent and the average tax bill upped by five percent.

The division reduced its budgeted expenses for services by 14.3 percent and supplies by 18.3 percent. Administration made cost-cutting measures includng deferring any major IT upgrades for 2026-2027, replacing previously rented band instruments for all elementrary schools with purchased ones and migrating the phone system to Microsoft Teams.

Savings were found through slashing $500,000 in maintenance funding. The division is limiting itself to two or three major projects across all 15 schools. Each school will have roughly $10,000 to fund minor repairs, Campbell said. No staff will be laid off.

The cuts were made to ensure staffing hires could be made, he said, but it can open the division to risk through delaying needed projects. The division’s facilities have an average age of 57 years.

“And in cutting this budget, we might be able to get away with it for one year, but it compounds year after year,” Campbell said. “When we make cuts, we’re trying to protect the classroom space and our students, as they’re our number one priority.”

A $1.78 million surplus was established in 2024-2025, which makes up 2.2 percent of the 2026-2027 budget.

Union members see increasing funding for staffing and classrooms resources were crucial priorities, said Jonathan Waite, Seine River Teachers’ Association president.

“We appreciate that the division listened and responded to the collective voice of our members,” he said in a email statement to The Carillon.