It’s a new move from Saskatoon’s governance and priorities committee.
The group has begun meeting with local partners to get a better understanding of the inner workings around operations and the challenges each of them face.
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The first of the meetings was held Wednesday at city hall with the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools (GSCS) board.
“We have very many issues that we deal with across each others borders,” GSCS board of trustees chair Diane Boyko said.
“We look forward to continuing that relationship to ensure that we bring forward information that city council can hear and they do the same thing to us.”
Transportation issues were top of mind for the city after cuts to busing caused by the provincial budget; students 1.2 kilometers away from school will no longer be eligible for bus service, the limit now sits at 800 meters.
READ MORE: Saskatoon school divisions rejigging elementary school busing
Another key topic on both sides of the table was next year’s budget.
“We’ve all been impacted by the cuts to provincial budgets, by changes to the economy,” said Mayor Charlie Clark, “so this was a good chance to talk about that and hear how is the city handling it, how is the Catholic school board handling it.”
The school board is facing an $8.4 billion deficit, due in part to growth from six new schools; four in Saskatoon, one in Martensville and another in Warman.
While no decisions were made, Clark feels the meeting was productive.
“In a cost cutting environment, in a time where we need to find ways to do things better and more efficiently, we can always be looking for those kinds of synergies; so this dialogue is important for that,” said Clark.
The committee wrapped up the day with a joint meeting with Saskatchewan’s NDP caucus.
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