School Funding Boosted by $53.1m Divisions Urged to Spend Surpluses to Avoid Increasing Homeowner Taxes

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Schools boards "will be feverishly crunching numbers over the next few days," Carolyn Duhamel, executive director of the Manitoba Association of School Trustees, said Thursday. "The tax incentive grant created a stir last year, and for some divisions was problematic," she said.

[Peter Bjornson] would not commit to providing the tax incentive grant last year, and would not discuss what will happen when divisions empty their reserve funds. "I won't answer hypothetical questions," said the minister.

Manitoba Teachers' Society president Pat Isaak praised the Doer government for its focus on improving equity among school divisions. "We're pleased to see the focus on increased equalization," she said.

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School Funding Boosted by $53.1m Divisions Urged to Spend Surpluses to Avoid Increasing Homeowner Taxes

Education Minister Peter Bjornson has boosted public school funding by $53.1 million for 2009-2010 -- and again challenged school trustees to avoid raising property taxes.

The 5.25 per cent increase in provincial grants includes $12.4 million in a tax incentive grant that will be divvied up only by divisions which agree to keep the...

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