The Province announced a funding increase of about 0.5% or $6.6 million for public schools in the 2018-19 school year and also ordered school divisions to limit their tax increases to a maximum 2% over the same time period.
“When school divisions create their budgets for the year ahead, we expect them to manage their expenditures accordingly. This means making decisions that best suit students’ needs, and consider the impact on local ratepayers and Manitoba taxpayers,” said Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart.
As part of the announcement the minister also said that the government intends to reduce the number of collective agreements between teachers and school divisions from 38 to 1. Manitoba is currently the only province where collective agreements are negotiated at the school board level.
“We want to put teachers back in the classroom, where they want to be and where students need them most, instead of being at the bargaining table,” said Wishart.
As part of the announcement the minister also said that in 2019 a review process will be undertaken to look at the kindergarten to Grade 12 education system. The review will look at a wide range of issues, such as the quality of education, the role of school boards and taxation power.
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