School District 57’s board of education decided to pass two of three readings of the bylaw setting its 2025-26 budget at its Tuesday, May 13 meeting, leading Supt. Jameel Aziz to express frustration over the process being slowed down.
A special meeting has been called for Tuesday, May 27 to consider third and final reading of the budget bylaw.
At the start of proceedings, the draft budget featured an operating fund worth around $180.7 million (85 per cent of the total budget), around $22 million in special purpose funds (10 per cent of the budget) and around $10 million in capital funds (five per cent of the budget).
As the board entered discussion into the budget in Mackenzie on Tuesday, May 13, unanimous consent was denied to a motion that would have seen all three readings of the bylaw passed that night.
With the meeting being livestreamed from the library of Mackenzie Secondary School, it was unclear on the video feed which trustees denied unanimous consent though at least two put up their hands in opposition.
When trustees started to ask questions after the passage of the bylaw’s first reading, Aziz said he was “extremely disappointed” that unanimous consent was denied.
Last year, he said, they had a conversation that the budget process needed to be in place earlier so that the district could get its operations in order and this decision essentially put that on hold.
“I just wanted to put that on the record and state that, because now, again, all the work by staff is essentially being disrespected,” Aziz said.
Responding to Aziz’ comments, Trustee Rachael Weber said while she believes that senior administration did “exceptional work” on developing the budget, the board and individual trustees still had outstanding questions and she wasn’t comfortable with passing all three readings that night as a result.
The draft budget includes cost reductions due to the closure of Giscome Elementary School at the end of this school year and the closure of the Central Interior Distance Education School in January 2026, secretary-treasurer Lynda Minnabarriet said while presenting on the budget’s broad strokes.
She said it also includes a $250,000 increase to the capital budget for asphalt repair and interior heating, salary increases for both unionized and non-unionized employees.
With collective bargaining underway, the full impact of salary increases on the school district’s budget is not yet known.
Both Aziz and Minnabarriet talked about a projected decline in enrolment the district will see over the next three years.
Other items of discussion on the budget included the use of surplus funds to replenish the district’s capital reserves, the potential reassignment of lab technicians at high schools to other positions and the work the district has done in the past couple of years to improve its financial position.
