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Manitoba schools are getting a 3.5 per cent raise in funding from the province in the coming school year.
Education Minister Tracy Schmidt announced $79.8 million in new funding for the 2026-27 school year, including $11.4 million in grants to support divisions most impacted by teacher salary harmonization.
“Harmonization does not impact all school divisions equally. So while this was a significant pressure for many school divisions, it was not the only pressure facing school divisions,” Schmidt said during an event at Earl Grey School in Winnipeg.
Schmidt said the harmonization grant will go to divisions like the Brandon School Division, which previously warned its provincial funding would have to double to keep a commitment to increase the property tax rate by 4.54 per cent.
Brandon will see one of the highest bumps at 6.4 per cent, a $5 million change according to a table provided by the province.
The collective agreement setting the standardized wage scale was struck in 2024. The scale comes into effect in the next school year.
Winnipeg School Division superintendent Matt Henderson said Monday it’s resulted in “significant wage pressure” for his division.
“We will see how that $11 million shapes out for us in helping us support that,” he said, adding the division would need a 5 per cent budget increase to pay for the salary increases.
The division’s funding will be going up by 3.8 per cent, or $9.2 million.
“The minister said today we can do anything, but we can’t do everything,” Henderson said. “I always tell people, ‘Show me your budget and you’ll show me your values.'”
