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March 28, 2024 08:43

Additional Funding for Education From Feds

As the provinces close to 700 schools are on the verge of re-opening Prime Minister Trudeau announced an almost last minute funding injection to facilitate a safe return for students. Parents not just in Saskatchewan, but across the country have been increasingly voicing concerns about sending children back to school this fall. Two billion dollars was promised to provinces in an announcement made at a school in north Toronto Wednesday morning. This funding is in addition to the $19 billion Safe Restart Agreement aid package designed to help he provinces deal with the continuing impact of the pandemic. While education is the provincial government’s jurisdiction, the federal government is willing, the Prime Minister said, to provide extra resources to keep children safe. This money will be distributed to the provinces and territories based on the number of students they have, but as of yet there is no indication from the federal government as to when this money will be available to school divisions.

This morning Saskatchewan NDP Education Critic Carla Beck applauded the move and called on the Sask. Party to allocate the funding to reducing class sizes. Beck said that she entered provincial politics because of what she saw as a school trustee, happening in schools. “Our classrooms are too crowded now because they were too crowded before,” said Beck. Saskatchewan will receive $74.9 million from the federal government in this newest funding promise.   

Sask. Party MLA Herb Cox has accused the NDP of politicizing the back-to-school question. Beck addressed that accusation saying it is the job of the opposition to look at the actions or inactions of the government and give voice to the concerns of the citizens. Parents, she said, along with teachers, support staff, and substitute teachers have all spoken out about their concerns and the government needs to hear that.

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