Submission to the Regina Public School Board
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Renewing Regina Public Schools Submission to the Regina Public School Board Prepared by: David MacLean Saskatchewan Director Canadian Taxpayers Federation #105, 438 Victoria Avenue East Regina, Saskatchewan S4N 0N7 Phone: (306) 352-1044 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.taxpayer.com March 21, 2006 About the Canadian Taxpayers Federation The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is a federally incorporated, non-profit and non-partisan advocacy organization dedicated to lower taxes, less waste and accountable government. The CTF was founded in Saskatchewan in 1990 when the Association of Saskatchewan Taxpayers and the Resolution One Association of Alberta joined forces to create a national taxpayers organization. Today, the CTF has over 72,000 supporters nation-wide. The CTF maintains a federal office in Ottawa and offices in the five provincial capitals of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. In addition, the CTF has a Centre for Aboriginal Policy Change in Calgary dedicated to monitor, research and provide alternatives to current aboriginal policy and court decisions. Provincial offices and the Centre conduct research and advocacy activities specific to their provinces or issues in addition to acting as regional organizers of Canada-wide initiatives. CTF offices field hundreds of media interviews each month, hold press conferences and issue regular news releases, commentaries and publications to advocate the common interest of taxpayers. The CTF’s flagship publication, The Taxpayer magazine, is published six times a year. An issues and action update called TaxAction is produced each month. CTF offices also send out weekly Let’s Talk Taxes commentaries to more than 800 media outlets and personalities nationally. CTF representatives speak at functions, make presentations to government, meet with politicians, and organize petition drives, events and campaigns to mobilize citizens to effect public policy change. All CTF staff and board directors are prohibited from holding a membership in any political party. The CTF is independent of any institutional affiliations. Contributions to the CTF are not tax deductible. The head office of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is located in Regina at: Suite 105, 438 Victoria Avenue East Regina, Saskatchewan S4N 0N7 Telephone: 306.352.7199 Facsimile: 306.352.7203 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.taxpayer.com 3 Introduction In November of 2005, Regina Public Schools released a plan entitled “Renewing Public Schools.” The plan recommended the closure of one high school and several elementary schools. The timeline set out in the plan called for more than three months of public consultation to be concluded on March 15, 2006. On December 13, 2005, the Regina Public School Board voted to debate the merits of the plan behind closed doors and subsequently chose to abandon the plan. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation believes this was a mistake. “Renewing Regina Public Schools” makes a compelling case for reforming the school system. While the primary rational for the plan is declining enrolment, aging infrastructure and budgetary pressures, it also outlines a vision for Regina Public Schools. That vision includes larger, more populated schools with solid and sustainable facilities. The plan explains how declining enrolments threaten the quality of education in our schools by stretching human and physical resources. The price for inaction will be paid by ratepayers, teachers, and students alike. It will be paid for by ratepayers in the form of higher taxes needed to keep unsustainable and rapidly emptying schools open, by students in the form of reduced educational opportunities, and by teachers in a deteriorating work environment. According to the City of Edmonton Residential Property Taxes and Utility Charges Survey, Regina has the fourth highest school taxes among the 22 cities surveyed. The CTF calls on the Regina Public School Board to re-visit “Renewing Regina Public Schools” and implement a plan that will create a sustainable school system. It’s what taxpayers and students deserve. Declining Enrolment According to Regina Public Schools (RPS) system profile, RPS is forecasting significant short and medium term enrolment decline at the elementary level. In 2009 there will be 11 per cent or 1,376 fewer students than there was in 2004. That reduction is the equivalent of losing the combined populations of Coronation Park, Mcdonald, Imperial, McDermid, Haultain, Dieppe, McLurg and Hercmer schools. The high school population is expected to decline by 25 per cent or 1,965 students by 2014. This is the equivalent of the combined populations of four high schools: Cochrane, Johnson Collegiate, Martin Collegiate and Scott Collegiate. Campbell Collegiate alone is forecast to lose 310 students in just eight years. “Renewing Regina Public Schools” called for the creation of fewer but larger schools. Larger schools help school administrators create class configurations and provide curricular and extra-curricular programs. According to the report, having split grades does not harm the quality of education, but little is known about the effect of teaching three grades in one room. 4 Infrastructure Aging infrastructure also presents a significant challenge to Regina public schools. “Renewing Regina Public Schools” and supporting documentation on the RPS website provide detailed accounts of the maintenance issues and costs facing every public school in the city. The policy presented to the Board relating to infrastructure was to “retire facilities that have significant facility repair needs, and that, because of location, do not demonstrate sustainable future enrolment.” The recommendations presented to your Board, if implemented, would save $7.9 million. Potential savings in the plan include $1.6 million in annual operating savings and $15.3 million decrease in deferred maintenance obligations – including $4.8 million in the coming school year. That’s millions of tax dollars each year that can be directed away from maintaining aging infrastructure and toward schooling. School Taxes According to the March 7 “status quo” scenario, the RPS will experience a 367 student enrolment decline resulting in a $1.8 million drop in provincial operating grant decline. When all revenues are considered, RPS is forecasting little or no revenue growth this year. On the expenditure side, salaries and benefits are forecast to increase by 4.1 per cent. In fact, expenditures in every single category are set to increase next year faster than inflation. These factors combined lead to a $6.9 million shortfall for the coming year based on the current mill rate. Had the renewal recommendations been accepted, that shortfall would have been reduced to $2.1 million. As mentioned in the introduction to this submission, Regina residents pay the fourth- highest school taxes among 22 cities surveyed by the City of Edmonton. In fact, Saskatchewan is unique in how it funds school to such a large extent through property taxes. For a 25-30 year-old 1,200 square foot home, the average school tax bill was $1,200. Owners of such a house tend to be low to medium income earners – including young families and seniors on fixed incomes. The CTF is concerned that, through all the debate around the possibility of school closures, the interests of taxpayers have been ignored. The fiscal pressures on RPS are significant. Deferred maintenance costs are now becoming urgent, and declining enrollment means reduced provincial funding. If left unaddressed, these pressures may lead to a significant mill rate hike. 5 The CTF opposes a mill rate increase in the upcoming budget. Taxpayers are already burdened with extraordinarily high school taxes, and shouldn’t be asked to pay more. And while the CTF does support efforts to lobby the provincial government to increase its share of provincial school funding, we also recognize that local authorities must adopt workable plans to maximize the benefit of local school dollars. That’s why “Renewing Regina Public Schools” is so important. Conclusion On December 13, 2005 the Regina Public School Board passed a motion that moved the debate on the school renewal plan behind closed doors. After the closed-door session, Board members voted to rescind recommendations for renewal. We believe this discussion should have taken place in the public. Based on the “status quo” budget projections submitted on March 7, there will be a significant financial shortfall for RPS in the next fiscal year. The Board is correct to seek additional funding from the provincial government. In fact, all school boards in the province should receive a greater share of their funding from the provincial government. RPS also has a responsibility to look at reforms in order to create a sustainable, cost- effective school system that reflects current realities. The renewal documents present, in clear language, a plan to create exactly that. While it’s clearly too late to begin reforms this summer as recommended, as much as possible should be salvaged and commitments made toward the necessary school closures as soon as possible. As much as members of the public perceive those recommendations negatively, the CTF senses optimism and vision for a more robust education system. The recommendations portray larger, well-maintained schools with enhanced educational opportunities for students. The CTF urges Board members to make their positions known clearly to the public before the 2006 School Board elections. CTF Recommendations 1) Implement the “Renewing Regina Public Schools” recommendations in order to make the system sustainable and effective. 2) Do not increase the mill rate for the 2006-07 school year. 6.