September 15, 2022
At its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday September 14, 2022, the Board of Education for the Prairie Valley School Division approved a new 2022-2023 operating budget, updating the original budget that was approved by the Board on June 9, 2022.
The new budget includes the new dollars provided by the Ministry of Education in an announcement made July 21, 2022. The province’s education budget was increased by $20M to, in the Ministry’s words, “…assist with the rising fuel and insurance costs”. Prairie Valley’s share of these additional funds totaled just over $1 million.
“As I said back in July, we are thankful for these extra dollars”, Board Chairperson Janet Kotylak said.
“Given the number of miles we run our buses and a steep hike in insurance premiums, it would have been extremely difficult to absorb these increases without harming the quality of education we can deliver.”
“However, this is just a one-time adjustment, which makes longer-term planning extremely difficult”, Kotylak said.
“Operating and capital allocations have failed to keep pace with the rate of inflation for a number of years now. This is a short-term fix and the longer-term problems with current funding still have to be addressed.”
Prairie Valley School Division serves approximately 8,500 students in 39 schools throughout southeast Saskatchewan. In support of the vision “Success in Learning and Life”, the Division strives to ensure a high-quality education that provides students with the tools to reach and exceed their potential.
-Media Release
