Holy Trinity Catholic School Division spent more than half-a-million dollars on utility expenses during the 2021-22 school year, which was tens of thousands more than the previous four years.
The division expended $594,104 on electrical, heating fuels, and water and sewer, according to the 2021-22 facilities accountability report presented during the recent board meeting.
Specifically, the division spent $351,065 on electricity, $158,939 on heating fuels and $84,100 on water and sewer. In comparison, during the 2020-21 year, those expenses were $343,967, $125,287 and $61,442, respectively.
Total utility costs in 2020-21 were $530,696, $546,219 in 2019-20 and $568,459 in 2018-19.
School properties
The average age of Holy Trinity’s nine schools is 53 years, with the oldest schools — Christ the King in Shaunavon and École St. Margaret, St. Mary and St. Michael in Moose Jaw — being 66 years old.
Meanwhile, the newest school — All Saints in Swift Current — is eight years old, while the division purchased its new office in 2019.
Also, the total floor space of the division’s 12 buildings — school and non-school — was 28,622 square metres (308,092 square feet).
Capital plans and renewal
The Ministry of Education provided $4 million through its new minor capital renovation program for Holy Trinity to right-size and update the interior and exterior of St. Margaret, the report said. However, the division office withdrew its application for new relocatable classrooms there because the ministry’s program addressed those needs.
In 2021-22, the ministry provided $595,078 in preventative maintenance and renewal (PMR) funding to address rehabilitation and maintenance projects, while the division incurred $778,522 in expenses.
“Delays were experienced in completing the Vanier Collegiate (Practical and Applied Arts) dust collection project, (which) was completed in the later part of 2021,” said the report.
Moose Jaw joint-use school
The ministry approved the joint-use school project in Moose Jaw in March 2019, while Holy Trinity and Prairie South school divisions announced it had a location in September 2020. Since then, very little publicly has happened, but negotiations between the divisions and city hall have occurred behind the scenes.
“The purchase of land is in process and the project is in the design development phase, as ongoing stakeholder consultations are moving forward,” the report said. “Payments made for the project to date amount to $922,617, with payments being managed by the Prairie South School Division.”
Building usage rates
As of June 30, there were 489 pupils enrolled at All Saints in Swift Current, with 103 per cent of the school building’s internal spaces fully used, said the report.
Furthermore, Christ the King in Shaunavon had 78 students enrolled and was 54 per cent used; St. Margaret had 187 youths enrolled and was 60 per cent used; and Phoenix Academy had 74 pupils enrolled, but no data was available about its building usage.
Similarly, Sacred Heart had 266 pupils enrolled and was 89 per cent used; St. Agnes had 326 students enrolled and was 111 per cent used; St. Mary had 124 youths enrolled and was 83 per cent used; St. Michael had 313 students enrolled and was 86 per cent used; and Vanier Collegiate had 399 pupils enrolled and was 52 per cent used.
There was a total of 2,256 students enrolled in 2021-22.
Operational budget
The facilities department’s budget for 2021-22 was $3.5 million, while it used $3.3 million, leaving $194,320 in unspent money.
Overall, from 2018-19 to 2021-22, the department received $11.9 million in total funding and spent $11.8 million, leaving $95,640 in unused money.
The next Holy Trinity board meeting is Monday, Nov. 28.
