School District 57 board members say the district is in a healthy financial position with the 2020 budget, allowing them to allocate more supports to students.
This year’s budget is over $172-million, only a slight increase from the previous years amended budget.
SD 57 Board Chair Tim Bennett said the board spent a lot of time finding ways to save money for more student resources.
“There is a big focus on mental health in this budget; we are bringing in more resources. We are supporting mental health for students and families,” Bennett said.
The board allocated $350,000 for a multi-year plan to combat mental health issues, including making sure more support staff are available.
Over the next year, Bennett said $700,000 will go towards upgrading WIFI networks at all schools through the district to enhance student learning. The current WIFI setups have not been updated since 2011.
Trustee Chair Sharel Warrington said the big change for indigenous students is making sure every school has an indigenous support worker so they can have a better connection to their culture.
“For years we have had to cut our budget and look at finding efficiencies we still do that, but now we are able to put resources back in where they had to be removed the past.”