2022-23 provincial budget
The following message has been sent to parents and caregivers throughout the division.
On March 23, 2022, the Government of Saskatchewan announced the 2022-23 provincial budget. You have likely heard reports of an increase to kindergarten to Grade 12 education funding and “record spending” in the sector. We write to you to explain some of the budget figures, and put them in context for our school division and what that may mean for you and your children.
The province will spend another $29.4 million in education operational funding next year. Most of that ($23.4 million) is earmarked for provincially negotiated salary increases in the sector. That leaves $6 million as the increase for all other expenses. For Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, that will be an estimated $660,000 more.
On the expense side, we anticipate 400 more students, dramatic inflationary increases for things like utilities (up an estimated four per cent, or $270,000), fuel for transportation (up an estimated five per cent, or $400,000), insurance (up an estimated 20 per cent, or $141,000), contractual increases for non-teaching job classifications, and an increase in the federal carbon tax on many other expenditures, to name just a few. These increases to costs are projected to far exceed the increase in revenue from the province.
Just like your ability to pay for things is being eroded by paying a higher price for the same goods and services, the school division’s ability to pay for the same things and maintain service levels for students will be negatively affected.
Preliminary estimates indicate the division will be over $2 million short if we want to maintain our current level of service to students. This is disheartening, to say the least, especially when we all know that additional post-pandemic funds will be needed to re-engage students and offer appropriate mental health and wellness supports.
Similar to our approach to budget cuts five years ago, we plan on realigning resources and reassigning staff in an attempt to maintain service levels in the classroom. However, that significant realignment years ago makes it very challenging to repeat it for the 2022-23 school year. The butter can only be spread so thin on the bread, as the saying goes.
Over the next several weeks, senior administration will be formulating the school division’s budget for review and approval by Board of Education trustees in June. We will update you as we go through this process.
God bless. St Paul, pray for us.
