Prairie Rose Public Schools receives clean financial audit, updates budget

By Samantha Johnson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on December 1, 2022.

reporter@medicinehatnews.com

Audited financial statements for 2021-23 and the revised 2022-23 fall budget were presented at the Prairie Rose Public Schools board meeting on Tuesday. Vice-chair Lois Bedwell says it was a clean, unqualified audit without a single journal entry.

“All internal controls are in place and they said it was a job well done. Everything they asked for was delivered. Kudos to you guys.”

A couple questions came from trustees regarding the audit. The first was from Bedwell about money received from the province for masks and COVID testing kits. No money was received, and the province sent the division masks and tests, which were then distributed to the schools, but it had to be entered as revenue.

Prairie Rose also received a Clean Air Grant, used to purchase air filter systems for inside classrooms at Burdett and Foremost. The remainder of the money was used to put high-end filters in all other schools.

Legislation doesn’t require a fall budget, but one was prepared to provide the most up to date information.

A provincial fuel subsidy was introduced in March, with Prairie Rose receiving funding from March until June. This funding was passed directly onto bus contractors.

Confirmation has been received that the division will be getting two mental health pilot programs, which will start for 2022-23. The funding is for divisions partnering with other divisions. One partnership will be with Horizon and the other is with Medicine Hat public and Catholic school divisions. The portion Prairie Rose receives from both is still to be determined.

Expenses have decreased from spring projections for teacher costs, which have provided additional funds to the budget. More full-time equivalency is needed and a transition in staffing is being seen in many schools, with money being used to purchase support staff hours rather than teachers.

Insurance costs for the division have decreased steadily over the past few years. Presently, PRPS pays $500,000 annually, nearly half of what it used to cost. Most PRPS schools are rural and the cost to replace buildings increased, but insurance went down. PRPS belongs to a consortium of more than 240 divisions for insurance.

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