This information received from Dan Preston today - followed by a comment from David Gleim:
Just a little information for everyone to know. We talked to
Minister Higgins today along with Finance Minister Thompson and they said the increase to the School Divisions in Saskatchewan was $646.00 per pupil.
There are 7300 students in the PSSD so that totals $4,715,800.00 extra available
money the School Division received that was held back from grants due to decline in enrolements.
So the School Division should have no excuse now to
close any of their schools.
Comment:
If this is so, then why are Chinook and PSSD claiming they are $1.2 & $1.8 million respectively more in debt now due to the Budget?
David
3 comments:
"The increase to school divisions in Saskatchewan was $646/pupil." Let's break that down. Take a fixed sum of money, any amount, let's say $10,000,000. One year, you divide that between 10000 students, so each student gets $1,000. Next year, 1000 of your students leave, but you still have the same amount of money to give out. That means each student gets $1,111 (an 11-per-cent increase, no less). Are you truly giving more money? No. You're just dividing it among fewer students and calling that an 'increase.'
Listen to the words carefully. Minister Higgins said: "Most of it was money we kept from declining enrolments in the budget and spread around." She did not suggest the number $5 million, the reporter merely made the same (incorrect) calculation you did.
For an accurate picture of what school divisions got for grant money this year compared with last, go to the Saskatchewan Learning site ... http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/branches/ed_finance/funding/pdfs/07_08_op_grant_SD.pdf
The previous link will not work ... use http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/branches/ed_finance/ ... navigate to "Distribution of Provincial Funding" and choose 'K-12 Operating Grants by Division'.
Balance not bias, please come out of hiding and tell us who you are.
Regardless of how you cut it, the calculation IS CORRECT. It has been stated this is NOT new funding, and is IN FACT 'recycled' money. That said, the INCREASE in per pupil grant was from ANDREW THOMPSON himself today. I don't care if it's "new money" or "recycled money", the point is it is EXTRA money they did not account for in their budget.
I plead with every single person, do NOT fall for what Mr. Stewart says to the media. He has already made a public statement that I have completely discredited with information directly from the Education Act, regarding financing of busses. I will not stoop to his level, and not go further from there.
Chad Novak
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