Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board approves $467M balanced budget; student enrolment climbs

Trustees with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board approved a balanced budget of nearly $468 million for the 2022-23 school year.

The budget of $467,991,226 was approved during Monday’s board meeting — more than $27 million higher than the 2021-2022 budget of $440,428,464. The board says the budget complies with all Ministry of Education requirements and is based on priorities set out within the board’s “2019-2022 Strategic Plan – Excellence in Learning, Life and Community.”

“We are incredibly proud of the strength, resilience and growth our students and staff have demonstrated through these unprecedented school years. It was wonderful for everyone to experience the joy and energy that happens when our students and staff can learn and grow together in-person,” said Diane Lloyd, board chairperson.

“We extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the families of our students for their patience, understanding and support for students and public education. We believe this budget will continue to make success possible for all.”

Lloyd noted trustees “remain mindful” of the continued and lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on its students.

“We will be intentional in our work to support students in their learning as we move forward next year,” she said Monday.

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“The budget we approved this evening reflects our continued commitment to do all that we can to support the great work of our students and staff.”

Other budget highlights:

• over $60 million to support special education program delivery in schools
• funding to advance key strategic priorities in the areas of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Indigenous Education
• a capital budget of approximately $39 million dedicated for the building of a new school and school improvement projects across the board

“We continue to invest significantly, every year, in improvements and enhancements to our schools,” Lloyd said.

“We want to ensure our learning environments remain fresh, inviting and engaging for all students.”

The school board’s budget over the past three school years:

• 2021-2022: $440,328,464
• 2020-2021: $431,036,046
• 2019-2020: $416,335,495

The board anticipates the student enrolment for the 2022-2023 school year to be 34,827 students, up from 33,232 students projected for the previous school year.

Elementary enrolment is projected to increase by 1,107 students from last year, with secondary enrolment expected to increase by 488 students.

Board grant revenues are determined provincially based on elementary and secondary student enrolment.

“We want to be able to provide rich and varied programming options for all our students, and we’re encouraged that we continue to be a destination of choice for parents,” Lloyd said.

“The enrolment growth we’ve seen in the last few years within our elementary panel is now benefitting our secondary school students.”

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