Education Minister Adriana LaGrange (Photo: Government of Alberta)

By Shaun Penner

Safe Return to School Fund

Province to spread federal school re-entry funding on per-student basis

Sep 2, 2020 | 11:50 AM

The province has announced how the money from the federal Safe Return to Class Fund will be doled out.

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange says the near $262 million in federal funding, promised last week by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will be going directly to school divisions across Alberta, once it is received.

In an announcement Wednesday morning, LaGrange said around $250 million of that total will go to school divisions on an equal per-student basis, and divisions will have flexibility to spend that money in one or more of the following COVID-related ways.

“Staffing, adapting learning spaces and personal protective equipment, cleaning and safety considerations for schools and buses, supports for special needs students and online learning and teacher training.”

LaGrange adds that the other $12 million is earmarked to help schools and divisions that are seeing an increased enrollment in online and distance learning because of COVID-19.

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For the Grande Prairie area, that will equate to over $6.9 million coming to the three local school divisions. The Grande Prairie Public School Division will receive just over $2.9 million of that, with around $1.9 million going to the Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools and just over $2 million going to the Peace Wapiti Public School Division.

“School authorities said that they wanted as much flexibility as possible to use this funding in ways that are most important for their schools and communities. I recognize the importance of this and am pleased to set broad criteria for use of this funding.” said LaGrange.

“I would also like to express appreciation to the federal government for identifying these dollars to help with a successful school year.”

She said the funding from Ottawa will be sent in two phases: one in September, with the remainder being sent later in the school year.

LaGrange also addressed concerns from teachers and parents about returning to school, saying they are normal and are being raised across the country and around the world.

The education minister says she and Dr. Deena Hinshaw are monitoring school re-entries in other jurisdictions to inform education decisions and public health guidance.

“We have not hesitated to support our school authorities to ensure a safe return for our students,” LaGrange says. “The safety and well-being of our staff and students has been and continues to be and will always be my number one priority.”

Hinshaw said that preparing for the return to classes has demanded “Herculean efforts.”

“Over the summer, teachers and staff have worked tirelessly to apply our public health guidance to prepare for a return to the classroom,” she said.

The chief medical officer of health echoed the education minister’s remarks about concern people have about heading back to school.

“As I’ve said before, we are living in an unprecedented time and there are no risk-free options when it comes to COVID-19. This includes not just risks from COVID-19, but also the risks our control measures introduce,” Hinshaw said.

She said that as we move into a new normal of living with COVID-19, all of those risks to children’s health must be considered

“In schools, it is critical to limit exposures, as well as limiting spread of the virus as much as possible. It is also vital that we support effective learning environments that mitigate other risks to our children, such as impacts to the educational and social development.’

She said except for minor differences, Alberta’s plan is generally consistent with plans in other provinces and many countries around the world. She said that includes the concept of easing distancing restrictions in the classroom to enable an effective learning environment.

(With files from Chris Brown, CHAT News)