The Manitoba government is increasing its investment in schools by $79.8 million for the 2026-27 school year, Education and Early Childhood Minister Tracy Schmidt announced on February 9.
"Our government is committed to making sure every Manitoba family can count on strong, stable public schools, year after year. We are meeting the needs of students and communities by building new schools and feeding kids with our universal school food program," said Schmidt. "This is good news for teachers, school divisions and families while building a brighter future for Manitoba's students."
The Manitoba government is allocating $11.4 million in public school funding to support divisions most affected by teacher salary harmonization. Salary harmonization will be implemented in the 2026-27 school year. Salary harmonization standardizes teacher pay scales across school divisions to help minimize disparities.
"By working together, we are creating a more equitable system that benefits teachers and supports stability for school divisions at a time when the demands on public schools are more complex than ever before," said Alan Campbell, president, Manitoba School Boards Association. "School boards recognize that the funding contribution for harmonization announced today is a step in the right direction and we look forward to continuing our work with government to ensure funding fully meets the needs of students, staff and communities across Manitoba."
The 3.5 per cent funding increase for public schools in the 2026-27 school year will help manage enrolment changes and ensure students have the supports they need to succeed. The formula guarantee will continue for 2026-27, ensuring every school division receives an increase to the previous year's funding amount.
The Manitoba government's 2026-27 school funding now totals $1.995 billion and includes:
- $51 million increase to help public schools with operating costs, which includes the investment in salary harmonization and technical vocational education;
- $30 million for a universal school nutrition program and Nello's Law, which protects the program for years to come, plus an additional $3 million from the sale of U.S. alcohol products for the Children's Nutrition Council;
- $15.2 million increase in capital support, which includes principal and interest costs related to building schools; and
- $16.6 million increase to independent schools under the funding agreement.
Manitoba is also on track to build four new schools, including Devonshire Park and Prairie Point in Winnipeg, Meadowlands in West St. Paul and another in southwest Brandon.
For more information on school funding, visit https://edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/finance/schfund/index.html.
Backgrounder
