PRINCE ALBERT — The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division passed a balanced 2025-26 budget without dipping into reserves for the first time in four years.
The division also benefited from provincial funding to offset inflationary costs for a second consecutive year. Financial Officer Jerrold Pidborochynski presented the budget during Monday's school board meeting.
“The increase in inflationary costs that were addressed it allowed us to do some things that we haven’t in the past,” Director of Education Neil Finch said. “It was a good a good news budget for sure.”
Finch gave the example of purchasing new school buses as something that benefited from the inflationary offsets.
"School buses are a great example, there's been a significant increase in the cost of a bus and when you're not recognized for that cost in the provincial budget, it's really difficult to keep up with purchasing a bus. That was the good news piece,” Finch said.
Grants played a big part in keeping the school division on track. They account for roughly 86 per cent of the division’s revenue.
Funding from the provincial government increased. The total grants from the Ministry of Education to Saskatchewan school boards increased from $98,611,067 in 2024-2025 to $107,818,086 in 2025-2026. The Operating Grant for Preventative Maintenance and Renewal (PMR) also increased from $2,620,000 in 2024-2025 to $3,452,000.
"With the increased cost of supplies, PMR had not been increasing,” Finch explained. “When they increase there, we will we'll be able to continue to maintain our facilities, especially our aging facilities. (With) Inflationary costs being as they are, that helps when it comes to buying new school buses and other rising expenses that are out there.”
Total Federal grants decreased from $3,107,647 in 2024-2025 to nothing in the current year. This was due to the division not applying for Jordan’s Principle funding because of the uncertainty around it.
However, Finch said the removal of the federal carbon tax has been helpful.
"That was an increase on our ability to spend the funds from the government as well,” Finch said.
Last year, this allowed them to hire or keep 24 Education Assistants and 36.5 Mentors in the division to work with Indigenous students. The division has moved from a half-time mental support worker to the ability to hire a full-time mental support worker.
“We have increased support for mental health capacity building, so we have a full-time mental health capacity coordinator and promoter next year, whereas we only had a .5 this year,” Finch said.
The division's general federal grant remained steady at $21,300. Other provincial grants increased to $489,316.
Governance spending decreased from $640,015 in 2024-2025 to $563,075 in 2025-2026.
Instructional salaries and benefits increased from $59,037,806 in 2024-202 to $64,228,149. The change comes from the new CBA. The government hasn’t always covered CBA changes, but this time, they are.
Instructional salaries and benefits make up 69.23 per cent of budget expenses.
"We will have 30 additional teachers in our schools and that's a combination of enrollment increase, but also from that Collective Bargaining Agreement that was signed by the teachers this spring,” Finch explained.
Total program support, which includes things like teacher assistants and clerical salaries, was $18,713,160 in 2024-2025. Sask. Rivers' budget documents show that the total decreases to $17,493,734 in 2025-2026.
Total revenues increased from $122,072,688 to $128,812,397 over last year. Total expenditures also increased from $122,072,688 in 2024-2025 to $128,812,397 in 2025-2026.
Finch said spending decisions are guided by one item in the division: the strategic plan, which sets the guidance for everything that happens in the division.
"Our budget is focused on that,” he said.
