GREATER SASKATOON CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Board approves balanced 2024-25 budget

Earlier this spring, the Government of Saskatchewan tabled their 2024-25 budget. Since then, our senior administration has worked to prepare the division's budget. On June 24, Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools' Board of Education approved a balanced budget to submit to the Ministry of Education. 

We thank our financial services staff and our internal budget reference committee (which includes teaching staff and senior administration) for all their work throughout the process. 

This year's budget contains some positive news of increased funding. After years of underfunding that forced cuts to all areas of our operations, this is a welcome, albeit small, step in the right direction. 

While comments of "record funding" are true, we want to provide some context as to what that means for the education sector as a whole, and more specifically for our school division and how we can serve you and your children. 

THE NUMBERS 

As part of a multi-year funding agreement, the government is adding $180 million to the provincial pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 operating budget for 2024-25. This is an 8.8 per cent increase from March 2024 to March 2025 (the government's budget cycle). Some of this is new funding, some has already been given to school divisions through previous funding announcements, and some is contingent on enrolment growth. 

Here's a brief breakdown:

• $40 million for enrolment growth and classroom supports (announced in June 2023) that was already part of the 2023-24 school division budget.
• $17 million for projected enrolment growth of 2,950 students (or 1.6 per cent) for next school year.
• $8.6 million more in complexity funding, bringing the province-wide total to $20.6 million.
• $29 million of funding for inflationary costs of non-teaching employee groups and inflationary costs specific to transportation. 

The remaining funds, not included in the above list, are being held back if enrolment growth exceeds projections and to cover costs of a new provincial collective agreement with the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation. 

No additional funding was provided for cost increases in areas such as insurance, utilities, or other general inflationary increases. 

For Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, we will see the following increases: 

• $8.2 million for enrolment growth, non-teacher salary increases and inflation.
• $934,523 for new complexity funding.
  • This is equivalent to $18,690 per school, less than a half-time educational assistant. 

CLASS COMPLEXITY FUNDING 

The aforementioned $934,523 of new, conditional funding to address classroom complexity will be allocated to the following: 

• Wrap Around Literacy supports: expanded from nine to 12 schools
• Educational Psychologists
• Educational Assistant Literacy and Behaviour Plan: 15 positions
• Student technology
• School counsellors
• Additional behavioural supports
• Student Services staff 

CAPITAL FUNDING: NEW SCHOOLS and MAINTENANCE 

We are getting two new schools: a joint-use high school in the Holmwood neighbourhood and a joint-use elementary school in Brighton. This is a positive start to addressing the unprecedented growth in our school division. Our hope is that our request for two additional elementary schools (Aspen Ridge and Kensington), as well as the middle/high school between Martensville and Warman, will be approved in the following budget cycle. 

There are currently no timelines for construction to begin. We hope to be able to develop detailed plans soon. 

Our budget for Preventative Maintenance and Renewal (PMR) has remained flat after a 10 per cent decrease last year. The majority of PMR funding goes to replace or repair school roofs and HVAC units. We're proud of the work our staff does to maintain our school facilities. No inflationary increases to our maintenance budget will eventually negatively affect our ability to do so. 

ONLY THE BEGINNING 

This budget comes well-short of making up for years of underfunding, but it will serve as a good foundation on which to build. We believe this is a floor, not a ceiling, for predictable funding in years to come. 

It has taken years of advocacy by collective bargaining units, boards, educational organizations, staff, and families to get this year's modest increase in educational funding. With our educational partners, we will continue our advocacy for you and your children, whom we are privileged to serve. Your children and our staff deserve adequate, sustainable, and predictable funding.

Thank you for all you do! 

Read the detailed 2024-25 budget document.

Diane Boyko
Board of Education Chair             

François Rivard
Director of Education