Weyburn Public School Board chair Dana Pretzer told the annual ratepayers' meeting May 20 he has not received one angry call from the public to complain about the eight per cent increase in public school taxes this year.

It was "a terrible thing," he said of the tax hike, but maybe boards in past years should have bit the bullet and the increase would not have been so large at one time, he said. The board has not increased taxes since 1997.

"There's no way in this school division we would cut teaching staff or use our reserves," he said. Holding the line on taxes will not take care of needed building repairs, he said, adding that the roofs on some schools "are leaking like a sieve." Weyburn Public has reserves of about $250,000.

Education director Jan Chell told the group 70 per cent of local ratepayers do not have children in the schools. "If they didn't believe that what we're doing is a good thing, they would be here complaining."

Pretzer said it's important to remember that mill rates aside, "there is some responsibility as parents, trustees, and taxpayers to give the best education we can to students."

"You're darn right the (provincial) government should be coming up with more money (for education)," said Pretzer, in answer to a question from the audience. He noted that the day after Weyburn Public's mill rate was set at 20 mills, the provincial government announced a review of the way education is funded in the province.

About 65 of the province's 95 school divisions raised their mill rate two per cent or more this spring, he said.

The cost of the division's $600,000 administrative building, purchased from EnCana this spring, did not affect this year's budget, noted Pretzer. Four administrators and four administrative assistants/secretaries are housed in the building.

The board plans to rent out some of the space and eventually sell a large, adjacent parking lot to recoup some of the cost.

About 25 people attended the meeting, mostly teachers, school principals, with some officials from the Prairie View School Division with which Weyburn will amalgamate. An announcement about amalgamation on Jan. 1, 2004 was made the same day as the annual ratepayers' meeting.

"There will be bumps in the future" with amalgamation, acknowledged Pretzer, but he said he's proud that the two divisions could come to an agreement. "I would be against it if I thought it would cost a teacher."

Pretzer said the districts were told by the Saskatchewan government that if they did not agree to amalgamation, it would be done for them.

The student population at Weyburn Public has dropped to 914 this year, from 1,019 in 1993/94.

Another 539 students attend the Weyburn Comprehensive School, administered by Weyburn Public, down from 608 in 1993/94. That figure includes students from Weyburn Public as well as Catholic and Central school divisions with no high school of their own.