Due to a change this year in Ministry of Education accounting practices the School District 27 budget for 2012-13 will read as an increase of about $6 million over the 2011-12 budget.
School District 27 trustees gave two readings to their 2012-13 preliminary budget of $62,538,990 Tuesday evening.
Secretary-treasurer Bonnie Roller explained that the ministry now requires school districts to include special purpose and capital funding and expenses as well as their regular operating budgets that were previously excluded from budget reports.
This includes funding for programs such as the Ready Set Learn, Strong Start, CommunityLINK, French Immersion, aboriginal technology, Nenqayni resource program, Communities That Care, school generated funds and other grants and endowments which total $4,011,453.
The capital base budget includes amortization of capital assets, interest payments on capital leases, and capital assets budgeted to be purchased from local capital on sites, buildings, furniture and equipment, vehicles, hardware and software.
These inclusions add $2,994,667 to the overall operating budget.
Funding allocated to the district based on student enrollment will be reduced by $800,000 in 2012-13, which Roller says the district will be able to handle using surpluses from this year's budget.
"Shortfalls will be covered by current estimated unallocated revenue," Roller stated in her report.
Based on projected enrollment which includes two recounts each spring School District 27 expects to have 265 fewer full time equivalent students this September.
The district's student population is expected to drop from the current 5224 students to 4959 students in September.