BC Education Minister, Rob Fleming provided an update today (Thursday) on the federal funding for Back-to-School, starting next week.
In support of B.C.’s COVID-19 response, for K-12 education, the federal government is providing $242.4 million in one-time funding for the upcoming school year, it is to be allocated to public school districts based on student enrolment.
School districts will receive the first half of the payment in September.
The province is initially allocating $101.1 million to school districts, $8.0 million to independent schools and reserving $12.1 million for emerging COVID-19 related issues between September and December.
The ministry is also expected to receive up to $121.2 million in January, which will be allocated then.
“To support schools during this pandemic we have provided a one-time provincial investment of $45.6 million in COVID-specific funding,” said Fleming,
“This provincial funding is in addition to increased levels of funding schools are already receiving.”
“The additional funding,” Fleming explains “is the $546-million investment of new money in BC’s 2020 budget for K-12 education.”
Some of the COVID-specific funding has already been used in a variety of ways across the province, including electrostatic sprayers, extra custodial staff and distant learning programs.
In remote and indigenous communities, some of the funding has been allocated for additional wifi hubs to provide better distant learning opportunities.
Rob Fleming, Minister of Education, provides an update on how federal funding builds and expands on safe back-to-school plans for the 2020-2021 school year.
For more information on BC’s Back to School Plan visit https://t.co/ZL1SfULkAk
https://t.co/4XjjGEzWyY— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) September 3, 2020
SD-57 will be holding a virtual town hall meeting tonight to answer further questions leading up to next week.