The Red River Valley School Division (RRVSD) announced during their budget meeting that $931,500 in cuts are needed for the 2018-19 school year.

This is a result of directives from Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart and the Manitoba Government, designed to steer Manitoba back onto a responsible fiscal track. Divisions were directed to limit the increase to local education property tax to 2 percent, a $346,500 increase for RRVSD, which here in the southeast, has schools in St. Pierre and St. Malo. However, the division received a 2 percent decrease in provincial funding, a total of $263,712. Meanwhile, enrolment is projected to increase to 2,156 in September 2018, an increase of about 56 students.

During the public budget meeting, Board Chair Shelley Syrota explains what cuts will look like going forward with these challenges. The positions of a foreman, a French language leader, an IT tech, a guidance coach, and extra clerical support are jobs to be eliminated from the division. A behaviour coach position will be decreased to halftime. Syrota said during the meeting that teacher's jobs were spared, but jobs such as the ones listed above, like the guidance coach, will be lost. 

Red River Valley School Division Office in Morris

"If a teacher was having an issue, the guidance coach would come and help... the teacher with ideas on how to make that child successful in the classroom, maybe in behavioural ways or in social ways, or in mental health ways."

In terms of funding and programming, the division has proposed to eliminate funding for the internship program, online course development, high school course fees, K-8 school supplies, and outdoor play equipment. Some people regard these items, such as provided school supplies, to be an 'extra', while others think otherwise. Syrota explains it's the 'extras' that are first to go.

"Some of the extras we have in place are things like paying for school supplies, paying for high school course fees, which now those costs will go back to the families and it's unfortunate that it's some of our most vulnerable kids and families that are going to pay the highest price for some of these cuts. Now we will go back to charging a fee because we have to remove those extras from our budget. So, families who struggle financially may not be able to send their kids to all the courses or all the field trips, or all the extras."

Funding will also be cut for accessibility plan and transportation costs for extra-curricular field trips.

"It becomes a pick and choose what you can afford as opposed to accessibility for all," says Syrota.

The province also announced a 15% reduction to the existing administration cost caps, which Superintendent Brad Curtis says will not affect them right now, since they've stayed under that budget cap. Staffing cuts were not made in this area. The division's operating expenditure for the 2018-19 school year is $32,117,899, a 1.38 percent increase. The division says the average increase in assessed properties in its 12 municipalities is 10.23 percent.