In March, the Hanover School Division’s Board of Trustees approved its budget for the upcoming school year.
The board’s projections show that the number of students in the division will continue its pattern of growth, with 8,000 students expected to be enrolled in the 2017–18 year. This is an increase of 171 students. The budget has been crafted with the increased enrollment firmly in mind, and will accommodate the hiring of additional teachers and guidance counsellors.
The budget also maintains Hanover’s status as having one of the lowest cost per students averages in Manitoba. The upcoming year’s operating expenses are anticipated to reach $87.8 million, a 2.55 percent increase in expenditures from the previous year. Provincial funding, which has gone up 2.6 percent, helps to accommodate this growth.
Provincial funding, however, only covers 60 percent of the division’s total revenue, with the remainder coming from school taxes. The 2017 mill rate will rise from 14.95 percent to 15.29 percent. On a hypothetical property with an assessed value of $250,000, the approximate increase equals $40 annually.
One week after the budget’s approval, the province made an announcement which might have caused the board to revise their numbers. The government has elected to discontinue funding for the K-3 smaller class sizes initiative. The initiative, developed by the previous NDP government, had mandated that all classes from Kindergarten to Grade Three be limited to 20 students. The province has noted that the policy change will give divisions more flexibility.
Randy Dueck, HSD Superintendent, has said that the funding change will not be immediate and that Hanover will still receive $960,000 for the coming year. Thus, the budget will not be affected.
Dueck further remarked that he agrees with the province’s decision to discontinue the K-3 smaller class size initiative. He acknowledged the value of keeping class sizes low, but that there’s nothing particularly important about keeping it to 20 specifically. He noted that the scenario doesn’t change if the class size rises to 21 or 22.
Hanover School Division serves the communities of Blumenort, Bothwell, Crystal Springs, Grunthal, Kleefeld, Landmark, Mitchell, Niverville, and Steinbach.
