Richard Froese
South Peace News
Peace River School Division has approved audited financial statements for the past school year.
At its regular meeting Nov. 21, the board reviewed the 2023-24 audited financial statements with the auditors MNP LLP, says a PRSD news release Nov. 26.
Secretary treasurer Rhonda Freeman provided further information to the board. She spoke about the Division’s diminished reserve accounts and highlighted the need for PRSD to think differently when the administration and the board develop and approve the budget for the 2025-26 school year.
“We can’t operate the same way we operated when we had $15 million in reserves,” Freeman says.
“We have to change the way we are doing business and these are the kinds of discussions we will need to have during our upcoming budget conversations.”
She further highlighted the increase in the instructional budget for both certified and non-certified staff, stating the Division’s budget process allowed PRSD to assign a lot of different high-quality professionals in school to serve students.
Freeman also noted the Division’s operations and maintenance budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year and explained the department is already as streamlined as it can be with a staff of five tradespeople to maintain 15 school buildings.
The audited statements are available on the homepage of the PRSD website at prsd.ab.ca.