Western School Division is offering an opportunity for residents to have their say on the 2026-27 budget.
An online survey is part of the process that will lead up to the introduction of a draft budget at a public meeting at Maple Leaf School March 4 to be followed by formal approval at the following board meeting.
“We’re still waiting to hear what the funding will be from the province … they’re not giving us a lot of time,” acknowledged board chairperson Darcy Wolfe last week. The public schools funding announcement from the province came on Monday (see story on Pg. 8).
He noted the board has done a budget survey for a few years now in the lead up to when they introduce the budget for the next school year.
“This is something we put out while we’re making our budget decisions. We are in the middle of budget season right now, so we are just trying to get information and feedback from the community, from staff members who we have talked to already,” he said.
It is a short survey that asks a number of questions:
• What are some areas in WSD that are doing well that should be continued?
• What are some areas where WSD could improve?
• What should be the top educational priorities for WSD?
• What additional supports (eg., mental health, cyber-safety, special education, Indigenous education, career guidance, extra-curricular activities, technology access, etc.) should be prioritized?
• What specific resources do you believe WSD is lacking?
• What specific facility or grounds upgrades, renovations, or new spaces would enhance student learning and well-being?
• What innovative ideas to improve student learning do you have?
• Do you feel all students have appropriate access to learning opportunities and resources based on their needs?
“It shouldn’t take too long to fill out, and it’s for anybody. You don’t have to be a parent of a student or a staff member,” Wolfe noted. “Anybody in Western School Division and anybody in the community is welcome to fill it out.”
Wolfe said it is vital for the board to get input from the community.
“This is one of the ways for community members who don’t usually communicate with the board to let their voice be heard. They are able to tell us through the survey what we are doing well, what we need to work on and what areas they feel might need investment, whether it’s capital improvements or whether educational programs that might be missing.
“It’s a really good way for community members to let us know what we need to be focusing on and what’s important to them.”
Wolfe acknowledged WSD has been fortunate with provincial funding in recent years.
“I think part of that was due to the province knowing that we had a new school that we needed to fund, but we don’t have that this year,” he noted. “We do have some different things we have to look at this year with teacher contracts and such … so there are some added pressures that we are facing, and we’re working on moving the dollars and cents around and making sure that we have enough to keep our schools well funded and well run.”
There are of course always some pressures that come with being a growing division.
“Every year, there are more students, and with more students come new challenges. Some students are coming, and they need help with language skills and some students come with special needs,” Wolfe said. “Every year, new challenges arise and new costs, and that’s just part of the system.”
