PRINCE ALBERT — School divisions in Saskatchewan have not received their budget information from the province after Budget Day but are expected to soon.
Traditionally after the budget is announced divisions receive a package so they are aware of the implications of the budget for each division.
At the Prince Albert Catholic School Divisions regular board meeting on April 14 Director of Education Lorel Trumier made the board aware that the division still has not received their package.
Trumier explained that this delay means a delay in finishing preparation of the division’s budget for 2025-26.
"The implications really mean that it delays our budgeting process, and in education, 80 per cent of our budget is staffing. We need to ensure that we've got things in place, so it's certainly delaying our natural processes and cycle of our work,” Trumier said.
"We're hoping to hear we've got to trust that they'll get it to us as soon as possible, but clearly that hasn't happened yet and we are hoping that will happen sooner than later,” she explained.
The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division and North East School Division (NESD) both also confirmed that they had not received their budget information.
According to a statement emailed from the Ministry of Education to the Herald, the delay was based on finishing details around the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that was signed between the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and the province.
The ministry explained that although the arbitrator’s report related to the teachers’ Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was released prior to budget day, the wording in the agreement was not settled until after budget day, with the CBA officially signed on April 3.
The ministry stated that now that the terms of the CBA have been finalized, operating grants are being determined through the Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 funding distribution model and a funding report package will be provided to school divisions this month.
At the meeting, the Catholic division also included the CBA itself for trustees. Trumier explained that the information is also available on the STF website.
"It's important that the board has their record, have a copy of the newest agreement for sure and understand some of the elements within it, and we're still waiting to hear more information and interpretation of some of the elements in the agreement,” she said.
Trumier explained that they are waiting to hear an interpretation of the new classroom complexity elements.
