February 4, 2022
The provincial government today announced that funding for the Manitoba K-12 school system will increase by $120 million in the upcoming school year, including $43 million increase in annual funding and additional one-time funding of $77 million to address incremental wage costs and other pressures.
“A roughly three per cent increase in operating fund revenue is essential to ensure resources per student are maintained. This funding amount is well below three percent,” said MTS President James Bedford. “This means the public education system is losing ground on a per pupil basis.”
Bedford said that the Society submitted 26 recommendations to the education minister in advance of the announcement calling for tangible changes to help improve student outcomes.
“We identified everything from nutrition and mental health to class size and Indigenous education, to updating curricula and strengthening clinical support,” he said. “We made practical, actionable calls for every one of them. Those recommendations were ignored in favour of the status quo.”
The government is currently updating its education funding model, however Bedford said that Manitoba students simply cannot afford to wait another year.
“Today’s funding announcement will not stop the inequities that continue to grow unchecked in our public education system.”