MHPSD to employ 22 fewer teachers next year

By Samantha Johnson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on May 26, 2023.

Leanne Dulle, director of finance, presented the 2023-24 budget this week to the board of the Medicine Hat Public School Division. The budget has a deficit of $2.29 million and the division will be employing 22 fewer teachers next year.

Of MHPSD’s expenses, 75% is staff salary and benefits. This year there are 418 full-time teachers, which will decrease to 395 for the 2023-24 school year. Twenty of the current positions are temporary that were funded by the continuation of hold harmless funding, which is being terminated this year.

Additionally, transition funding, which has been in place since Alberta Education implemented the new funding formula a few years ago, is also not available for 2023-24. Hold harmless funding amounted to $2,138,500 for 2022-23 and transition funding was $5,767,700. Thus, even though base grants have increased by about 6% and a few new grants have been added, overall funding to the division will decrease by $3,339,800 next year.

Fewer teachers will include eleven retirees and the division has also received a few resignations. Thus, some of the 19 temporary positions currently being filled could be renewed next year.

Over the past five years, the division has seen a decrease in enrolment by 424 students and the funding levels have not reflected that decline until now. MHPSD is expecting 47 fewer students next year over 2022-23 and the decline is expected to continue over the next decade, decreasing from 7,040 students next year to 5,985 in 2033-34.

Even though the division will employ fewer teachers next year, the division will still be paying out more in salary and benefits across the division than they did last year by $395,400. Among other increases, group benefits have been increasing for the past three years and this year jumped the highest yet, by 12%.

Transportation has a new funding model and the division will receive $531,000 more next year for a total of $3,044,300. Seven new bus routes are planned across the division and, as this is now a targeted grant, any excess money can’t be moved into other budget streams as it has been in the past.

A reserve cap is coming into effect on Aug. 31, and MHPSD had applied for ministerial approval to exceed the cap. The excess funds will be used in 2023-24 school year to offset the budget deficit.

Board chair Catherine Wilson asked Dulle about class sizes for next year. Despite fewer teachers, class sizes will remain about the same size as they were this year. The board thanked Dulle for all the hard work she put into preparing the budget and the many phone calls to Alberta Education she had to make. While not happy about the loss of teachers, the board was relieved a solution has been found to deal with the sizable deficit for next year.

The full budget can be viewed in the enclosures of the board package for the May 23 meeting at http://www.mhpsd.ca/minutes-agendas.