The Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools (GSCS) board of education says there is an air of uncertainty as it passes its budget for the 2020-21 school year.
Board chair Diane Boyko said that is due, in part, to the coronavirus pandemic and how schools will have to adapt in the fall when students return to the classroom.
“We all have this cloud of unpredictability hanging over us that makes it incredibly hard to plan,” Boyko said.
“We know there will more expenses as we adapt to the realities of physical distancing, increased cleaning and sanitizing and physical protective measures.”
Any budget surplus will be used up to ensure the health and safety of students and staff, said Greg Chatlain, director of education for the school division.
“Measures that must be put in place for the health and safety of students and staff to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 will have a definite price tag,” Chatlain added.
“Cleaning and hygiene supplies, physical changes to learning environments and office spaces, additional buses to respect physical-distancing protocols and the potential need to hire more staff are but a few examples that will have significant costs.”
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Boyko said the challenge is maintaining service levels while enhancing protective health measures.
“Our hope is that stable — even increased — funding will mean we do not have to compromise the quality of education and service we offer our students and families,” she said.
GSCS is projecting enrolment will grow by 674 students — a 3.4 per cent increase.
As part of its $206.7-million operating and capital budget, approved on Monday, the school division said it will be hiring 44 new full-time teachers and 14 new full-time educational assistants.
“Funding for pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 education in Saskatchewan has stabilized, and increases to cover enrolment growth and inflation are appreciated,” Boyko said.
Design and planning for a new St. Frances Cree Bilingual School are also in the budget.
Boyko said $1.3 million is being provided by the Saskatchewan government for a detailed design of the new school.
“Years of work by a multitude of people dedicated to culturally responsive education is paying off,” she said.
“We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we are thankful for all of the preparation work done to this point so we can get shovels in the ground faster.”
GSCS has 50 schools and just over 20,000 students in Saskatoon and surrounding communities.
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