The division office with Holy Trinity Catholic School Division is preparing the 2021-22 budget and will have to factor in negotiated increases to salaries and benefits while creating the document.
The provincial collective bargaining agreement signed last May with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) — effective Sept. 1, 2019 to Aug. 31, 2023 — will result in a compensation increase of two per cent for next year. Adjustments to the operating grant typically cover these cost increases, a budget update report explained.
The new provincial collective bargaining agreement is expected to add almost $300,000 in extra salary costs.
Division administration will also have to accommodate salary increases for non-teaching employees with CUPE Local No. 5506 since negotiations will occur this April. Each one-per-cent adjustment to compensation levels costs roughly $55,000.
“Settlements with CUPE typically flow through to the school division’s non-unionized staff. Further, settlements with non-teaching staff have typically not been covered by adjustments to the operating grant,” the report said.
Salaries and benefits comprise roughly 76 per cent of the school division’s expenses, which for this school year is $20.3 million of the budgeted $27.2 million.
The budgeted revenues this year are $28.5 million.
Even though the division office is in the preliminary stages of creating the budget, everything will depend upon what the Ministry of Education provides for an operating grant, explained education director Sean Chase. All 27 school divisions will find out what their operating grants will be when the provincial government unveils its budget on April 6.
“There really hasn’t been any information whatsoever shared with us in the education sector at this point,” he said, noting education sector partners hope they will receive good news as pandemic conditions improve.
Holy Trinity is building its budget for the 2021-22 school year based on the projected enrolment of students, which is expected to be 2,342 youths by Sept. 30, 2021, Chase continued. This also includes supporting students participating in at-home learning and potentially welcoming them back to school next fall.
The division office provided trustees with a budget-related document during a recent board meeting that focused on financial and operating assumptions that guide the creation of the budget.
The document helps administration be mindful of any unexpected or significant issues that could arise during the coming school year, said Chase. One area of focus is determining how many youths will continue to learn from home; nearly 130 elementary students chose that option this school year.
“That number has slowly, slowly diminished as more and more of those families have felt comfortable returning to the physical classroom,” he continued. “But projecting what that looks like in September right now, there are obviously a great deal of variables beyond our knowledge base at this point,” such as vaccination and transmission rates.
There will likely be staff reductions next year due to a decline in student enrolment this year, along with a decline in funding and increase in expenses, the report said.
The average cost of a teacher is $90,000.
“Maximizing the funds directed to the classroom to support student results remains the top priority,” the document added. “The board will continue to provide the best programs and supports possible within the financial resources made available.”
The next Holy Trinity board meeting is Monday, April 19.
