BSD puts pressure on province for more funding

The Brandon School Division has warned that local property taxes could rise significantly next year, as it prepares its 2026–27 budget without any indication of how much funding it will receive from the provincial government.

The division faces an additional $6.8 million increase in salary and benefit costs this coming fiscal year — a figure that would translate into a 10 per cent property tax increase for the owner of a typical $301,000 home if no new provincial funding is provided, Supt. Mathew Gustafson told the Sun.

“The $6.8-million figure doesn’t account for any other budgetary increases — no enrolment changes, and no inflationary costs, whether controllable or uncontrollable … it is actually greater than the total funding increase we received last year,” Gustafson said.

“There are still some decisions the board would have to make … they’ll need to determine what level of taxation they’re prepared to raise, and what reductions they may have to consider. The final number will also depend on additional costs like inflation. But as a rough estimate, if our total expenses increase by $6.8 million and provincial funding does not increase, the property tax increase would be about 10 per cent for the average taxable property.”

The increase in salary and benefit costs is just to maintain existing staff, secretary-treasurer Denis Labossiere told the board.

“If provincial funding doesn’t increase, that gap would have to be made up through the special levy,” he said.

The secretary said teacher salary harmonization across Manitoba — a process that brings all divisions up to the province’s highest pay scales — will significantly impact the division’s payroll. Substitute teacher costs alone are projected to rise by more than 20 per cent.

The division already operates with one of the lowest per-pupil spending levels among urban divisions in the province, despite years of enrolment growth and cost pressures, Gustafson told the board.

“Even with substantial funding increases,” Gustafson warned, “staffing ratios, student supports and divisional positions would still be below what they were six years ago.”

The numbers presented are “not an overestimation” and could grow even higher once inflation and enrollment changes are factored in, board vice-chair Duncan Ross said.

“We’re looking at a pretty hefty tax increase unless we start cutting things,” Ross said. “But there’s nothing left to cut. We already spend the lowest — or close to the lowest — in almost every area that isn’t teachers. And every year, when we ask stakeholders for feedback, the number one request is always: more teachers, not less.”

Ross criticized the province’s education funding formula, calling the division “a have-not division.”

“We have one of the highest mill rates in the province, and yet somehow we’re still short-changed by the province,” he said.

“We overtax our citizens, and somehow we make it work — but I’m worried about the point where we can’t. … there’s been no real sign from the province that anything’s going to change or come, despite us repeatedly saying that things are broken.”

Last year, the division received a $3.3-million increase in provincial funding for its 2025–26 budget. To balance its finances, the board approved a 6.78 per cent property tax increase — about $121 more for the owner of an average $301,300 home.

The increase amounted to approximately $3.7 million in new provincial funding, bringing the total provincial operating allocation to $77.9 million — well below the division’s preliminary budget of $142,836,905.

Board chair Linda Ross echoed Ross’s concerns. She said the shift to province-wide teacher bargaining — known as harmonization — has disproportionately hurt smaller and rural school divisions.

“The cost to divisions in Winnipeg will be negligible,” she said. “But for the rest of the province, it’s going to be a lot. The province has said all along they’re not going to pay for harmonization costs, and that creates a really uneven situation.”

Trustee Breeanna Sieklicki urged parents and community members to get involved by contacting their local MLAs and the Minister of Education.

“If that doesn’t paint the picture, I’m not sure what else will,” she said. “We’re going to be talking to the government, but it doesn’t just have to come from us. It can come from parents and citizens. Please help us advocate for our students.”

The board will continue its budget deliberations over the coming months, with a public consultation scheduled for March 2, 2026. The province typically announces school funding in late January or early February.

Until then, BSD trustees say they are left facing tough decisions — and taxpayers may be asked to shoulder more of the cost if additional provincial support doesn’t come.

“What we’re trying to tell you,” chair Ross said at the close of the meeting, “is bad. It’s really bad.”

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