{"id":731,"date":"2021-05-11T08:43:16","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T12:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/willbouma.ca\/?p=731"},"modified":"2021-05-11T08:46:34","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T12:46:34","slug":"additional-funding-for-area-school-boards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willbouma.ca\/additional-funding-for-area-school-boards\/","title":{"rendered":"Additional funding for area school boards"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Record-level Support for Mental Health and Learning Recovery for Grand Erie and Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk boards<\/em><\/p>

May 10, 2021<\/strong><\/p>

SIMCOE\u2013 Haldimand-Norfolk MPP\u00a0Toby Barrett\u00a0announced the Ontario government will support local students by providing\u00a0the Grand Erie District School Board\u00a0with $313.6 million for the 2021-22 school year through the Grants for Student Needs (GSN) program, an increase of $8.8 million over last year. GSN funds for the Brant Haldimand Haldimand Catholic District School Board is projected to be $132.6 million, an increase of $4.7 million over last year.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cThis announcement is good news for hard-working families and students,\u201d\u00a0Barrett said. \u201cOur government is committed to advancing student success, and we are delivering significant resources here in\u00a0Haldimand-Norfolk.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cThis is certainly great news for Brantford-Brant students and families,\u201d said Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma.\u00a0 \u201cWith the challenging times we are all working through, this funding is moving student success forward in both Haldimand-Norfolk and Brantford-Brant. Learning recovery and renewal are top priorities with our Government and I look forward to working with Medical Officers of Health, parents, educators and students for a safe return to in-class learning\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>

This week, the Ontario government announced new support for a safe and successful 2021-22 school year, including an additional $1.6 billion in resources to protect against COVID-19 and $561 million more in ongoing investments in public education for the 2021-22 school year through the GSN. Total GSN funding is projected to be $25.6 billion. This reflects the third straight year it has increased under the current government, and on a per-student basis is estimated to rise to $12,686, which is the highest amount ever.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cOur government is investing more in public education than any government in Ontario history,\u201d said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. \u201cAs we continue to work with the Chief Medical Officer of Health to evaluate the safe resumption of in-class learning, our number-one priority remains safety in the classroom. To deliver on that priority, our government is making more than $1.6 billion available to protect school safety while investing in the long-term success of students with more support for reading, math, mental health, and special education needs.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

In order to support a safe return to classroom learning in September, Ontario is investing $1.6 billion in targeted COVID-19 resources that will be used for expenses such as enhanced cleaning protocols, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and critical supplies and equipment, and temporary staffing supports. Grand Erie will receive access to up to\u00a0$ 6.247 million, and Brant Haldimand Norfolk up to $3.39 million\u00a0in resources to keep students, school staff and their families safe from COVID-19.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

The Ontario government is supporting learning recovery and renewal by investing an additional $85.5 million to help students across the province address the effects of learning disruptions as a result of COVID-19. Investments will support reading and math for young learners, student re-engagement, and mental health and well-being supports. These learning recovery and renewal measures will include partnering with\u00a0School Mental Health Ontario<\/a>\u00a0to support educators and enable timely interventions; additional teaching resources including math leads and coaches; and summer learning and special education supports, among other initiatives. These steps will position Ontario as a leading jurisdiction in unveiling a suite of learning recovery initiatives in advance of the next school year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has made unprecedented investments to support student mental health, including over $80 million projected in 2021-22, which is more than four times the investments made in 2017-18. For the 2021-22 school year, Ontario will also be providing school boards with $3.2 billion to support students with special education needs through the GSN \u2013 the highest investment recorded in Ontario.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

QUICK FACTS\u00a0<\/p>