As your Board begins this next term, we immediately are tasked with connecting with our community to craft our strategic direction. Over the next year, the Board will be meeting with our communities to develop a multi-year plan. It will set the direction for the next several years.
However, before those discussions begin, the Board will undertake one of its most significant decisions. While it seems early to discuss the 2023-24 budget, the process has already begun. This annual decision to set the budget for the next school year is an opportunity to reflect on the Division’s priorities. It expresses, in very tangible ways, what is valued and most important to enable our students to find success.
Setting the budget is a process. Many aspects of the budget involve what you would expect for a school division. After all, over 80% of the budget is committed to our employees. The remainder is committed to facilities, transportation, supplies for program delivery, and other things including governance to help provide an education for our students.
Yet even though some costs are a given, there are decisions that need to be made in setting the next budget. These decisions require input from our stakeholders and community.
As part of this annual process, the Board meets with employee groups, parent advisory councils, municipalities, and our community members to gain their input as the budget is created. This initial input helps establish the activities, programs, and services that the Board should consider as the budget is formed.
With a new funding model being developed, these discussions will help shape not only the establishment of this next year’s budget but will help guide future budgets as well.
On Monday, December 5th at 7:00 p.m., the Board is inviting the public for input as the initial step in this process gets underway.
This meeting will be both virtual and in-person. To participate virtually, you will be able to find a link on the Mountain View School Division website at https://www.mvsd.ca/budgetforum/. If you would like to attend in person, we request that you indicate your attendance by the end of November to ensure we have adequate space for participants. You can register your attendance by filling out the form on the website or you can call Susan Hazell at the Division Office at 204-638-3001, extension 88016.
The evening will include presentations about the current strategic plan and the current budget. There will also be a discussion about areas that you feel the Board should spend more or less focus on. To help with this discussion, there is also a Pre-budget Survey that you can fill out before the meeting. The information will help guide the conversation.
This is your school board, and we need your input as we put resources for this next school year into the areas that best address the needs of our students. Looking forward to seeing you on December 5th.