School trustees pass Budget 2026-27

St. James-Assiniboia

Balancing fiscal responsibility with student needs is one of the core – and toughest –responsibilities that school trustees face. Every budget begins by reviewing operational expenses, looking for efficiencies, and focusing on improving how resources are used. The 2026-27 St. James Assiniboia School Division budget was approved at the public board meeting on March 10, 2026, with total operating expenditures of $146.6 million.

The board remains committed to ensuring funds are directed to supporting the classroom. Because of this, SJASD continues to have small class sizes, maintaining a low student-to-teacher ratio while ensuring that each child receives the individual attention they need.

It takes a lot of people to run a school division. Overall, the budget reflects a largely status quo operating model, with expenditure growth driven primarily by contractual salary adjustments and inflationary operating costs required to maintain current services, rather than program expansion.

Provincial funding amounted to an operating increase of 1.55 per cent, while SJASD’s operating expenditures have risen by 3.33 per cent. Given these pressures, the board of trustees made modest but targeted additions to the budget.

We are building a stronger system by adding a total of 5.5 full-time equivalent secretarial staff to increase the secretarial float pool in 11 of our small early years schools, providing more predictable daily support and fostering proactive communication between school and home. We are adding one FTE in accounting staff to the finance department to improve finance support across the division.

We are investing in transportation by budgeting 1.75 FTE relief bus drivers. We believe this additional staffing will strengthen operational resilience, reduce route cancellations, and improve service consistency.

We are lowering student fees for families. The board has been working towards bringing equity to school fees for families. This year, we are taking another step in this multi-year process. The board will supplement school budgets to reduce supply fees in middle years and reduce course fees in senior years.

We are supporting the launch of a second after-school program in partnership with The Peaceful Villag. that will support the educational advancement of students within the John Taylor Collegiate family of schools. The Peaceful Village currently operates in the St. James Collegiate family of schools. This program offers a safe, supervised, and enriching environment after regular school hours, providing academic support, recreational activities, and opportunities for positive social development.

Overall, Budget 2026-27 allows the division to maintain its current level of service while adding targeted investments to support growth and student needs. Thank you to the numerous community members who participated in our consultation process. To view the complete budget, visit SJASD.ca.

Submitted by SJASD trustees Tara Smith, Angela Dunn, Fiona Shiells, Cheryl Smukowich, Sandy Lethbridge, Craig Glennie, Rachelle Wood, Michael Cabral, and Holly Hunter.