Pembina Trails School Division's draft budget includes 4.8% tax hike

The Pembina Trails School Division's draft budget proposes a 4.8 per cent education tax increase.

The average homeowner in the southwest Winnipeg school division with "a house valued at $398,444 would see a $100 increase in school taxes or 4.8 per cent" if the draft budget released at Thursday evening's board meeting is passed,the division's website says.

The draft 2016-17 budget includes $164 million in expenditures a spendingincrease of $5.7 million, or 3.6 per cent.

ThePembina Trails website says the provincial government is not increasing its funding to the division this year, so "consequently, nearly all increases in expenditures will need to be funded by increased school taxes."

The province said in January that it is increasing funding for public schools by 2.55 per cent, or $32.5 million, although it didn't include a breakdown of how much each division would get. Some of that funding was earmarked for specific projects, such as $13.9 million for literacy and numeracy programs.

• Manitoba boosting public school funding by $32.5M

Pembina Trails school taxes "will likely remain the lowest in Winnipeg" even if the increase is approved, the division's websitesays.

Some of the spending increases the division is looking at include:

• Hiring more teachers to accommodate an additional 344 students it expects to see this fall, as well as adding space to meet the provincial government's classroom size requirements.
• Hiring staff and other expenses for cole South Pointe School, a combined French immersion and English kindergarten to Grade 8 school that is slated to open in January 2017.
• Covering the costs of busing more students from new neighbourhoods.
• Enhancing school buildings to improve fire safety.

The division says about 85 per cent of its ongoing costs are related to staffing.

The public can check out the Pembina Trails School Division's website to find out how they can give feedback on the draft budget.