The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor The newly approved Flin Flon School Board budget trims staff by less than half a position as student enrollment continues its downward trend. The budget, green lit by trustees on Tuesday, reduces the school division workforce by 0.45 of a position. Superintendent of Schools Blaine Veitch said the staff reduction is 'not as deep as it could have been.' The board hopes to make the reduction through attrition rather than a layoff. Trustees considered this another good budget year given the influx of cash from the provincial government. The board had claimed the provincial Tax Incentive Grant, doled out to school divisions that hold the line on property taxes, each year since TIG was introduced in 2008. TIG was discontinued this year, but the province agreed to provide the division with the same amount of funding it received under the grant last year, some $750,000. Uncertainty surrounding the availability of that funding for 2013-14 means trustees could face some hard choices in a year's time. The 2012-13 budget boosts spending by $479,000 over the present year, to a total of $12.9 million. See 'A...' on pg. 12 Continued from pg. 3 Speaking prior to its approval, Trustee Tim Davis, chair of the Finance Committee, called it 'a good budget' that puts 'a lot of money into the system.' Among the new expenditures in the budget is $150,000 to develop Queen's Park near Hapnot Collegiate. The board also plans to request an additional $150,000 from the province's Public Schools Finance Board for the park. The board has not finalized plans on the park upgrades, but Trustee Murray Skeavington said a running track, a multi-use playing field and a soccer field are among the options being contemplated. Skeavington, the board chair, said trustees hopes to survey high school students before the end of June on what they would like to see at the park. The City of Flin Flon is already set to build a skateboard park near Queen's Park, at the site of the basketball court adjacent to Many Faces Education Centre. Other major new expenditures in the budget include $68,300 for travel costs, including trips taken by band students, among others; and $41,000 to decrease student fees by an average of $40 per student for compulsory courses that require payment. The division's enrollment dropped by 37 students between 2010-11 and 2011-12 and now stands at 1,024 pupils. Enrollment has declined each year since 1996. Highlights Other highlights from Tuesday's board meeting: Veitch spoke on the new report cards that will become mandatory across Manitoba as of September 2013. He said the division has already been voluntarily piloting the new high school report cards at Hapnot and plans to add Many Faces in 2012-13. But with work still to do, Veitch said the plan is to wait until September 2013 before implementing the new report cards at the K-8 level. The new report cards are designed to provide a more complete assessment of students, according to the province. In delivering his chair's report, Skeavington commended Hapnot students on their recent Dinner Theatre production of Jekyll's Hydes. He called the comedic show 'very entertaining' and made note of the positive feedback it garnered from audience members. Veitch reminded the public that Ruth Betts Community School will host the Regional Science Fair on March 16 and 17. Veitch announced that Brandon University student Lauren Krassilowsky will complete a seven-week teaching assignment at Ecole McIsaac School beginning March 12. She will be placed in Arlene Collins' kindergarten class. In response to a letter from the province, Veitch informed the board that their student assessment policy already meets new provincial standards.
