Discussions

A 7.5% Tax increase.  
Do they not realise that education is a provincial responsibility?  
 
What do our governments expect when we import foreign workers to work in local industry?  
 
Is it not obvious that their children will not fit in because of language problems?  
 
Instead of lobbying the Doer government for assistance to educate these children, our School Board takes the easy way and increases taxes to all the citizens of Brandon.  
 
I say don’t spend money they do not have.  
In my experience these workers stay for three years, get their citizenship papers and then move out west to higher paying jobs, and a warmer climate.  
This should then make it a Federal responsibility.  
 
What about the $900,000 offered by the Doer government? Trustee Peter Bartlette says we do not need it, as we can suck it up and find the money locally.  
 
Has he tried to buy groceries lately?  
Mr. Buri is using the old system of making large budget requests: cutting it in half and then telling the taxpayers he’s saved them $1 million.  
If the province is only offering $900,000 then they have not been given the full facts, and the urgency of this problem.  
 
Well the estimate for school tax increases is $65 on a $100,000 house, will I think the average house is valued at $200,000, giving a tax increase of $130 per house. Commercial property worth $500,000, probably a low estimate, will pay $477 more.  
 
Below is the list of items the School Board is to implement with the new taxes they are demanding.  
English as an Additional language Staff (3) $198,200  
Learning Disabilities specialist (1) $70,000  
Literacy Specialist (3) $206,100  
Addictions foundation counselling $8,000. (Is this not a provincially funded organization?)  
Appropriate educational programming teachers or educational assistants (15) $300,000. (They do not even know what these people will do).  
 
On March the 2nd the public can make presentations to a special meeting of the board, when have you ever seen these presentations change anything?  
 
Maybe there will be some help if we contact our MLA’s to get some emergency funding for these programs that are not supported by the educational system.