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That equates to a $9.5-million funding shortfall, said director of education Greg Enion.

The board will continue to explore cost savings as it prepares its budget, due to the Ministry of Education in June.

But Enion said they wanted to communicate these specific changes as soon as possible, so families would have more opportunity to plan for the new school year.

For 2017-18, all Regina Public elementary schools will offer full-day kindergarten. Students will alternate, attending school every second day for a total 475 hours of instruction in the year. The estimated net savings is $446,070.

Given a $2.44 million shortfall in government funding for transportation, Regina Public has altered its transportation zones according to the ministry’s funding criteria.

Grades 1 to 8 children are currently bused if they live beyond 1,200 metres from school, and kindergarteners are bused beyond 600 metres of the school. In the new year, students in kindergarten through Grade 8 will be bused if they live beyond a one-kilometre radius.

That means about 1,100 students currently receiving transportation will not be eligible in the fall.

That is expected to save the school division about $1.35 million annually.

Three prekindergarten programs currently funded by Regina Public Schools are not designated by the Ministry of Education — and thus not funded by the ministry.

As such, the board will phase out the two programs that it offers, accepting no new registrations for 2017-18, and shutting down the programs for 2018-19.