(Submitted photo/Lisa Campbell)

By Ian Gustafson

Education

Province provides school divisions with $1.8 million in funding

Mar 21, 2022 | 3:07 PM

The Government of Saskatchewan is providing school divisions in the province with $1.8 million in funding for the school year.

The funds will be meant to alleviate any additional substitute teacher and other employee costs as well as any unforeseen costs the divisions accumulated this school year.

Of the 27 divisions who will be allocated funding, the Prince Albert Catholic School Division, Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division and the Conseil des écoles Fransaskoises (CEF) will all get a portion.

The CEF will receive $120,020, Sask. Rivers will get $47,240 and the Catholic division will be allocated $14,880.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on our costs, in particular the need to hire additional substitute teachers,” said director of communications for the CEF, Claude-Jean Harel in an email statement. “We are pleased that the Ministry has recognized this need and allocated $120,020 in additional funds to help CÉF meet its financial needs. For this, we express thanks.”

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Meanwhile, Sask. Rivers Public School Division director of education Robert Bratvold said the funds they will receive will be used to cover the unexpected, but additional costs for substitute teachers and other staff.

“We had substantially more employee absenteeism due to COVID and related things, primarily in January and February and into early March,” Bratvold explained. “And so, the Ministry recognize that additional cost over the grants they provided initially in budget and so that will go to cover those costs.”

The funds will be given to the divisions by the end of the month.

paNOW reached out to the Prince Albert Catholic School Division for comment and did not receive a comment by time of publishing.

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Ian.Gustafson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @IanGustafson12