WINNIPEG – The provincial government advised school boards to cut costs and rein in spending following a 2 per cent or $24 million increase in education funding this year, but they did the opposite.
“It is a concern for me because the system is well-funded,” Education Minister James Allum said Monday. “Parents understand they’re taxpayers as well, but those dollars need to be used responsibly and they need to be injected into the classrooms.”
School board after school board has defied the provincial government and raised taxes. The Winnipeg, Seven Oaks, Louis Riel, Pembina Trails, St. James-Assiniboia and Seine River school divisions are among those that increased property taxes by more than per cent. The River East Transcona division was the only Winnipeg school division to keep the increase under three per cent — it raised taxes 2.6 per cent.
Critics said it’s no surprise property taxes have gone up, considering this year’s financial commitment from the Manitoba government is the lowest increase in five years. One Winnipeg School Division trustee called this a round-about way for the province to generate revenue.
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