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| Education Minister Rob Fleming outlined new funding in place for the return to school in BC |
With the Labour Day weekend marking the final days of summer vacation, teachers, students, administrators and parents/guardians will all be facing next week with many uncertainties.
That as the provincial school system moves into a new school year, one still very much facing the impact of COVID-19.
As we noted last month, each local school in SD52 has provided for updated back to school news and protocols on their individual websites, with a range of measures in place for the new realities of schooling for 2020-21.
Still, the return to school seems to be an ongoing process, one with new developments each day and featuring concerns and questions almost by the hour.
Yesterday, the provincial government added some financial assistance to School Districts across British Columbia, with 242.4 million dollars in one time funding for K-12 education to be distributed to local school districts based on student enrolment.
The relay of that funding to the School Districts will look as follows:
B.C.’s Ministry of Education 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 2020. The ministry is expected to receive up to an additional $121.2 million in January, which will be allocated out at that time.
Education Minister Rob Fleming made note of how the province continues to rely on public health guidance towards its measures for a return to the classroom.
“Our province is taking the best, science-based public health advice and planning to have as many children as possible back in classrooms this fall, which is why we have been talking with the federal government about the need for more resources for our schools. We are appreciative of this additional support to provide more resources to districts and independent school authorities, so they can continue providing ongoing learning opportunities in a safe way.”Following yesterday's update from Education Minister Rob Fleming, the British Columbia Teachers' Federation made note that with the funding now set for direction to the School Districts, the Federation would be keeping a watchful eye on how it is used and holding each School District accountable for student and staff safety issues.
Ms. Teri Mooring, the President of the BCTF, explored a range of themes related to the Thursday announcement through her social media feed, providing a glimpse into some of the ongoing concerns from teachers in the province at the return to school program.
Among the areas of note that have been prominent in recent weeks have been issues of class size, availability of Personal Protective Equipment and the need for more focus on a hybrid system to provide for education during this period of COVID concern.
You can explore many of the themes from the BCTF President here.
The return to school is proving to be a controversial topic on Social media, with a number of teachers including those from the Prince Rupert area weighing in on the issues and registering their concerns.
Some of that conversation can be found through twitter and the #BCed theme.
A number have made note of their concern over mixed messaging from the provincial government when it comes to the ongoing efforts towards COVID.
As part of those concerns, during the course of the Thursday press conference, Minister Fleming was asked questions related to any potential strike action, or other measures that could come from the teachers over the school restart program.
So far, there is no indication that any labour action is planned for next week.
More notes on education in the Northwest can be reviewed through our archive page here.
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