Press Release
The Rainy River District School Board approved its 2017-18 balanced budget of $54,148,855 at a special meeting Monday in Atikokan.
It represents a three percent increase over the 2016-17 budget.
The 2017-18 budget provides schools with the resources and supports necessary to support the board’s strategic plan, which focuses on a culture of lifelong learning and a culture of caring.
The budget recognizes the individual needs of each student with support for increased staffing in special education, and the continued support for the two Transition Room pilots as well as the Indigenous Student Work Study Teacher.
Continued support also is being provided for the Renewed Math Strategy, Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) co-ordinator, and the “Reading Recovery” program.
In addition, the budget reflects an increase of 14.69 staff across the system from the 2016-17 budget allocation, including teachers, education support personnel, and early childhood educators.
Consistent with the board’s mission of, “Together, we empower all students to believe in themselves, to achieve, and to dream,” input was sought from school councils, from board advisory committees, and from the public through an online survey.
The 2017-18 budget reflects the input received, with an allocation to support breakfast programs and an increased allocation for field trips in elementary and for athletic excursions in secondary.
“The board was very happy to approve the 2017-18 budget in support of student achievement and well-being,” said board chair Dianne McCormack.
“This budget focuses on programming, supports system-wide and local priorities, is in alignment with the board’s multi-year strategic plan, and reflects input from a wide variety of stakeholders,” she noted.
“We appreciate all of the input received throughout the budget process and the work put into developing a budget, which clearly puts students first,” McCormack added.
