Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 30, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A5 winnipegfreepress. com MANITOBA WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015 A 5 www. reliablemobility. com 666 ST. JAMES STREET | 204 774- 6322 across from Sears at Polo Park RELIABLE MOBILITY HOME HEALTHCARE CENTRE GET IN AND OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE A LITTLE EASIER WITH RELIABLE MOBILITY'S AUTOMOBILE SOLUTIONS! PAYMENTS AS LOW AS $ 159 BW JUST ARRIVED ALL PRICES PLUS FREIGHT. REBATE TO DEALER. PAYMENT BASED ON 84 MONTHS AT 5.99% GST PST EXTRA. * BASED ON 60 MTH LEASE WITH 0 DOWN. 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Valid on orders placed between January 1st and April 30th, 2015 GILLIAN ALDOUS P O D I A T R Y DR GILLIAN ALDOUS, PODIATRIST, IS MOVING TO A NEW LOCATION AT: 320, 1600 NESS AVENUE WINNIPEG. TELEPHONE: 204- 504- 8986 PATIENTS WELCOME. PODIATRISTS TREAT FOOT PROBLEMS: THICKENED, FUNGAL, INGROWN NAILS, CALLUS, CORNS, PLANTAR WARTS, BIOMECHANICAL PROBLEMS, ORTHOTICS. HOUSE CALLS CAN BE ARRANGED ( Podiatry not covered by Manitoba Public Health, patients resposible for fees) E DUCATION Minister Peter Bjornson is pumping an extra $ 25 million into the system for the 2015- 16 school year with hopes of boosting math and literacy skills, career development, preparation for post- secondary education and culturally relevant programming for aboriginal students. The annual increase in the province's share of operating grants for the $ 2.16- billion public schools system once again matches the rate of provincial growth and comes in just under two per cent. " Challenging times are not the times to make reckless cuts, as our critics would have us do," Bjornson told a news conference Thursday. " Mr. ( Tory Leader Brian) Pallister believes we should cut education funding." Bjornson said the province will continue to build new schools, labs and shops and move toward ever- smaller class sizes, while targeting spending to its greatest needs, such as improving math and literacy in which Manitoba students sit last in national and international tests. He's told school boards they must have no more than four per cent of their revenues in surplus - Bjornson said there is $ 18.9 million out there in 22 divisions in excess of that cap. " I directed school divisions to ensure that excess surplus is directed into classrooms and tax mitigation," he said. Deputy minister Gerald Farthing clarified the surplus is distinct from reserve funds divisions can set aside and accumulate to pay for major projects, and that any surplus should be spent on one- time improvements such as equipment. School boards should not spend the money on staff, which would create ongoing costs in future years, he said. Bjornson said he wants the eight school divisions with more than 5,000 students to limit spending on administration to 3.5 per cent of revenues, down from the current limit of four per cent. However, the province's FRAME ( Financial Reporting and Accounting in Manitoba Education) report shows the six Winnipeg divisions, Brandon and Steinbach- based Hanover already spend only 2.8 per cent to 3.4 per cent of their revenues on divisional administration. But this year there was no tough talk from the NDP, no admonitions against raising taxes and no declarations the school trustees have all the money they need to avoid raising school property taxes. " School divisions will have decisions to make," Bjornson said, but, " We're not looking at a cap" on property tax increases. The funding includes a zero guarantee that gives divisions at least the same grant money as the previous year. Without that guarantee, 17 school divisions would have received less money this year under the funding formula, which relies heavily on enrolment and assessment bases. On specific policies, " We're going to keep the moratorium" on closing schools, unless the entire community agrees a school's enrolment has become too small to stay open, the minister said. The NDP leadership vote March 8 will not change anything in Thursday's announcement, Bjornson said: " This is the money they will get." Teachers and trustees were cautiously optimistic about Bjornson's plans, and lauded the government for increasing grants despite the economic situation. Manitoba Teachers' Society president Paul Olson said Bjornson had not been tough with trustees this year the way NDP ministers have in past years. " There's a clear expectation from the government that there will be increased taxation - ( trustees) should not be beaten up by their constituents," Olson said. Olson said he's always happy to see the province recognize diversity in schools and to boost math and literacy. " Enriched is good news," he said. Manitoba School Boards Association president Floyd Martens said defining what administration will be tightened needs to be clarified. " It will depend on what is classified as administration," he said. Not lifting the moratorium, and thus not restoring to school boards the right to close small schools after extensive consultation, " puts restrictions on what the school boards' flexibility may be," Martens said. The opposition Tories had no immediate response. nick. martin@ freepress. mb. ca Not a simple formula WHY on earth would an extra $ 25 million not be considered great news? That's because of the confounding, confusing, complex and convoluted provincial public education funding formula. The money Education Minister Peter Bjornson announced Thursday is an increase in the province's share of the $ 2.16- billion system. More than one- third of any increase comes from school divisions through school property taxes. The annual cost of running the public school system has been increasing from 3.1 to 4.2 per cent in recent years, or rising from $ 64 million to $ 80 million a year. That means about $ 50 million would come from higher property taxes when trustees set their budgets by March 15, unless they cut staff, programs and services - something they rarely do. Public school enrolment has been declining or staying stagnant for the last two decades, yet the system adds more teachers each year, and the six divisions that have settled contracts for this school year are giving raises of two per cent plus increments to teachers. In the budgets passed last March, the province's FRAME ( Financial Reporting and Accounting in Manitoba Education) report shows school property taxes went up 4.76 per cent on average. The increased spending produced a property- tax increase of $ 59.55 on a typical house assessed at a value of $ 200,000. Salaries and benefits accounted for about 84 per cent of the increased spending. Money spent on salaries and incremental raises for younger teachers went up 2.9 per cent and benefits rose 5.8 per cent. Schools have 100.8 more full- time- equivalent teachers this year; many of those new teachers are part of the province's plan to cap kindergarten to Grade 3 classrooms at 20 students by 2017. School boards spent an average of $ 407 more per child this year. $ 25M more for province's schools Bjornson rejects pressure to wield axe on grants despite ' challenging times' By Nick Martin Do you have a loved one living with schizophrenia or psychosis? The MSS Family Support Group is here for you. Manitoba Schizophrenia Society 204- 786- 1616 A_ 07_ Jan- 30- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A5 1/ 29/ 15 8: 25: 54 PM ;