Community Budget Information Meeting—Q&A (Jan. 29, 2025)

On January 29, 2025, the Board of Trustees held a virtual Community Budget Information Meeting to provide an overview of the budget process, and the next steps in the budget deliberations among the Board of Trustees and senior administration.

Attendees were provided an opportunity to ask budget-related questions during the event. In the spirit of open, transparent, and honest communication with our public, below you will find responses to the questions posed, as well as the PowerPoint presentation that was shared. Please note: We have combined similar questions. If you submitted a question during the budget meeting and you do not see a response below, please email: info@retsd.mb.ca.

• What has the Board of Trustees done to advocate for more funding?

  The Board of Trustees has been hard at work, advocating to the provincial government in relation to funding. They’ve met with our MLAs, including the education minister, to advise them of the financial predicament we find ourselves in as a division. 

  The Board’s key message is that the current funding formula isn’t equitable and requires a revamp that considers the unique needs of our division. 

• Given the financial situation the division has been in the last few years, what type of innovations have you been able to accomplish?

  The greatest innovations often occur when programming is examined during more difficult financial times. Below are some examples of the new, innovative programming offered in RETSD: 

  • In all six of our senior years schools, students have access to Advanced Placement (AP). AP gives our students an opportunity to pursue university-level studies while still in high school, as well as an excellent means to prepare students for the rigours of university and college life. The AP Program enables students to receive credits, advanced placement, or both from the universities participating in the program. 
  • Next year, sTeam programming will also be accessible in each of our six senior years schools; sTeam stands for Science, Technology, English, Arts, and Math. While it focuses explicitly on hard skills to drive progress and create products, sTeam is an integrated class program with a focus on collaborative, project-based, inquiry-driven learning. It’s interdisciplinary and seeks to explore multiple curricula in connected ways. 
  • Last year, RETSD and St. Boniface Hospital collaborated to offer a meaningful experience for Indigenous students. A newly developed internship program allowed 12 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students in Grades 11 and 12 to explore careers related to health care. Students spent one day a week at the hospital for 17 weeks and were supported by an RETSD divisional support teacher and the St. Boniface Hospital reconciliation specialist.
  • Another example worth sharing is Project LIFE, where students with additional needs can develop skills to increase their success in finding competitive employment and transitioning to adult independence. It combines both classroom and life skills instruction with authentic work experiences to prepare students for a future as confident, capable citizens. 

  
  

• With such large enrolment increases in recent years and more expected, what are the plans for school expansion?

  The Board has been continually advocating to the provincial government to ensure RETSD receives an increase in funding for capital projects and new schools in the division. Not just one, but multiple schools are needed to address the division’s exponential growth.

• Is the increase in enrolment affecting the transportation budget? How can you buy more buses when you have no money?

  As has been stated in previous years, the cost of a bus has increased significantly, and the average cost of a school bus is currently about $200,000. RETSD transports over 4,000 students twice a day on 100 buses doing multiple routes. With each successive budget, new buses have been purchased.

• When you need to add teachers throughout the school year due to increasing enrolment, how does that affect your budget?

  When the Senior Administration Team brings budget estimates to the Board of Trustees, they consider the projected enrolment for the coming school year. Senior administration ensures schools are staffed with classroom teachers, specialist teachers, and support staff based initially on that projected enrolment. However, given recent trends in enrolment growth, the Board of Trustees has supported contingency staffing funds for the growing division.

  After that initial staffing projection, enrolment is monitored throughout the year. Contingency funds may be used when classroom sizes grow substantially due to enrolment increases. This may take the form of adding teachers to co-teach, thereby decreasing the staff-to-student ratio. In some cases, classroom teachers are added using a predetermined contingency budget.

• When we look at the percentage split for salaries, can more money be put into educational assistants? There are more and more students with additional needs every year.

  In RETSD, we adhere to provincial guidelines for the seamless transition of students with additional needs into our school division. Thanks to these protocols, we have a comprehensive understanding of the students joining us, including their specific needs, which allows us to plan effectively and efficiently.

  Classroom teachers are responsible for tailoring instruction to meet the needs of all students, including those with additional needs. RETSD is committed to maintaining smaller class sizes, which enables teachers to provide personalized, high-quality education and support to every student. Educational assistants play a crucial role in implementing the teachers' planned programming, with a strong emphasis on fostering student independence. While educational assistants are an important part of our support system, we recognize that there are various pathways to inclusion, and they represent just one of those avenues.

• Is there funding being put towards building upgrades, like air conditioning?

  The division conducted an analysis to determine the cost of installing air conditioning in schools that don’t have it. The price tag was in the millions of dollars.  Every year, RETSD requests funding for air conditioning (and other large capital projects) from the province, who are responsible for funding such improvements. This is not part of the division’s annual operating budget; instead, it’s included in the five-year capital plan submitted to the province.

• How does the Board create a well-thought-out budget so quickly? It seems odd that it needs to be completed by March 15, and you don’t have the information from the government yet. Is this normal?

  The budget process starts in November each year. The Senior Administration Team provides the Trustees with the information they need to engage in preliminary budget conversations. After that, we wait for the province to release the information related to educational funding. Once received, meetings and deliberations occur in earnest to meet the March 15 deadline. During this time, the Board of Trustees also consults twice with its community regarding the budget.

• Our high schools are so full. My child is having trouble getting into the classes and programs they want. Will a new high school be built soon? Or are there other ways you plan to address this issue?

  While our senior years schools are full now, please be assured that the required courses students need to graduate will always be offered. We continually monitor courses to ensure students have opportunities to pursue their interests and passions, so they can have success in whatever way they choose.

• I was pleased to hear about the nutrition funding being implemented in schools this year. Are there any plans to reduce extra school fees for things like lunch programs?

  We're pleased to be a part of the new provincial and federal nutrition program, which is provided at all 42 schools in RETSD, across early, middle, and senior years. Students have access to healthy, nutritious foods in line with Canada's Food Guide, available at the start of the day, over the lunch hour, and with snacks in the morning and afternoon. 

  Senior administration is actively reviewing fees across the school division, because we’re keenly aware of the economic pressures our community is facing.