WEYBURN - The Southeast College will experience a five per cent funding reduction in the 2025-26 provincial budget, the college said in a news release issued on March 24.
Total operating funding specifically saw a decrease of approximately two per cent. Prior to the decrease in the budget, the operating grant for the Southeast College had remained steady for a few years, therefore not keeping up with increases in operational expenses, including bargained salary increases, general operating expenses that include utilities, insurance costs and routine maintenance.
In the news release, the college said an additional two per cent decrease this year in the total operating funding is significant.
The second area of the budget that saw the largest decrease in funding, at 20 per cent, was the skills training allocation (STA) portion. These are the training dollars that allow the college to offer full and part-time institute credit programs.
Part of this decrease is a result of the conclusion of a one-time funding lift to offer a continuous intake in the practical nursing program. Through management of program reserve funds, this will not impact the practical nursing program scheduled for 2025-2027.
The college said it is thankful for an increase to its preventative maintenance and renewal (PMR) allocation of approximately 42 per cent. This funding is earmarked for specific PMR projects within college facilities, to be completed over the next fiscal year.
With the five per cent decrease in total funding, the college said it might be faced with continued ongoing complex decisions.
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