School board approves tax increase and more teachers for Hanover

The Hanover School Board has approved a $119.8 million budget for the new school year that will include the hiring of more teachers. 

“Some of the teaching positions that we had to eliminate in the last couple of years, especially last year in particular, those are being brought back,” says Finance Committee Chair Ron Falk. “So, we’re bringing at least eight or eight and a half of those teachers back, positions where we had to cut in the last couple of years.” 

Falk also says Hanover is hiring an additional 16.5 teachers to accommodate projected enrollment increases this fall. 

Taxpayers in the Hanover school division will see a 6.25 percent increase in the Education Tax Levy. 

“On a house assessed at roughly $285,000, it will amount to approximately $50 annually once we consider the Property Tax Rebate.” 

Falk notes this marks the first school tax increase in the Hanover School Division since 2017. 

He says this increase is what allows the division to bring back the teaching positions that were cut, as well as a few other things. 

“We've been able to look at some other areas in the division where we need some extra help, and I think one of the things we're quite excited for in our division is working on a new alternative education off-campus situation or opportunity for some of our kids. We're not quite ready to go into all the details of where it will be and the details of that, but we're actively pursuing that and hoping it will be ready to launch in fall.” 

Falk notes the public budget consultation meeting resulted in comments about the need for school counselors and social workers, which the board considered when planning the budget. 

“As you know, COVID has been tough, and there continues to be ramifications of the fallout from COVID years. And there's a lot of supports that need to go into place for that.” 

Meanwhile, Falk says the division needs to purchase additional school buses, pointing out that Hanover has the largest bus fleet among divisions in the province. 

The school division is planning to add two more bus runs for the new school year and Falk says they need to purchase four more buses. 

“So that's always a big-ticket item as well, but that has to be done if we want to bring our kids safely back and forth to school and home.” 

Overall, Falk says the board feels pretty good about the new budget. 

Press release from the Hanover School Division regarding the 2024-25 budget:

The Hanover School Division Board of Trustees has approved the 2024-25 school year budget. The new budget allocates $119.8 million to enhance student education and aims to reinstate some of the staffing and services that were reduced in previous years. With enrollment projected to increase by 5% (approx. 398 students), the budget corresponds with continued divisional growth and provides funding to address critical support needs.

Hanover School Division will receive an additional $4,026,249 in provincial funding for the 2024-25 school year, which represents an increase of 6.2% over the previous year. As with all school divisions in Manitoba, provincial funding comprises only a portion of total operating revenue. The remaining required revenue (approximately 40% of the budget) must be obtained through education taxes in the form of a division-wide Mill Rate. To ensure educational expenses are covered, the 2024 Mill Rate will increase from 11.99 to 12.74, which reflects an education tax levy increase of 6.25%. Compared to the previous year, the education tax levy on a sample house assessed at $285,000 will result in an approximate increase of $50 annually when considering the education property tax rebate.

The provincial government’s announcement to restore school boards’ authority to raise local taxes has enabled the Board to address 2024-25 budget concerns such as enrollment increases, negotiated salary adjustments, and increases in fixed costs such as utilities. Consequently, this marks the first school tax increase in the Hanover School Division since 2017.

The Hanover School Division strives to provide the best education possible for all children in our care. The 2024-25 school year budget reflects a mindful approach to the impact of local taxation while balancing the educational needs of school communities.