The Prairie Rose School Division has presented their 2016-17 preliminary budget. They held a public budget consultation meeting at St. Pauls Collegiate in Elie Last night, outlining their $30.1 million budget. It includes a spending increase about about five per cent, or $1.5 million. During their presentation the division outlined a challenging budget, due to no increase in provincial funding, while still working to accommodate the need for technology, and provincial legislation calling for smaller class sizes.

The proposed special levy increase for the division is 12.44 per cent, but Secretary Treasurer Randall Znamirowski notes that won't mean you're paying 12 per cent more.

"Our mill rate has actually reduced by 17 per cent, so our mill rate was 14, this year it's 11.6, so one is going up but one is going down. However, that's still too simplistic to use as an example, because every home and every business and everything like that goes up by different amounts."

Examples given during the presentation showed a home in St. Laurent valued at $105,000 in 2015, and reassessed at $103,400 in 2016 would see no impact of the mill rate change. Meanwhile a home assessed at $337,100 in 2015, and reassessed to $402,900 would actually pay about $20 dollars less per year. On Average, Znamirowski says residential property owners and businesses will be paying less. However, a major shift in the assessed value of farmland will likely mean producers are paying more.

Superintendent Terry Osiowy outlines their plans for the coming years

During the presentation, Superintendent Terry Osiowy outlined a number of projects being taken on by the division in the coming year. While the division received a zero per cent increase in general funding from the province, they did present some exciting news for the division. Osiowy notes the province has approved four $500,000 science lab upgrades, including schools in Elie, St. Laurent, Miami, and Elm Creek.

"We have within five years to get this all completed, but I would like to see us have all four labs completed in two years. What we'll have to look at is facilities, and how tight it will be, because sometimes that renovation requires programs shifting or changing, so we'll have to look at that. That was very positive news for us, particularly after we didn't get the funding increase that we expected."

He says one of the major highlights of the year will be the introduction of 3.95 full-time equivalent staff, to act as guidance counsellors in the schools. It's something that hasn't been present in the division before, and Osiowy feels it will go a long way to improving the services they provide to students.

"The kids are coming to us with so many different needs and challenges, and there's been pressure put on school staff, particularly the principals, because they're wearing many hats. This will be a huge bonus as our student services team will be able to specialize now, in terms of the referrals and making sure the kids and families are getting proper counselling and support services when they need them."

Osiowy notes feedback on the preliminary budget can still be provided over the next two weeks, with the deadline for submissions set for 4 pm, Wednesday March 2nd.