Education Minister Cliff Cullen appears at a news conference on Thursday, May 27, 2021. (MANITOBA GOVERNMENT / YOUTUBE)
WINNIPEG — Manitoba schools are receiving $58 million for the 2021-22 school year to pay for pandemic protections.
Education Minister Cliff Cullen announced the funding Thursday, which will also go towards mental health and well-being resources for students and staff.
“We want to ensure the classroom environment continues to be as safe as possible while making focused investments to address the learning impacts of the pandemic,” said Cullen.
The funding includes:
• $40 million for the per-pupil allocation to school divisions and independent schools for additional staffing, learning and technology, and health and safety
• $6 million for potential costs for PPE
• $5 million for the Kindergarten to Grade 8 Remote Learning Support Centre for students who are medically compromised
• $7 million in contingency including a $5-million recovery learning fund
“The funding provided during the last school year was effective in protecting students and teachers by keeping schools as safe as possible and open for in-class learning,” added Cullen. “This round of funding builds on that success to ensure schools are safe next school year and will support costs associated with meeting any public health measures.”
For the current school year, the province is projected to spend up to $170 million by the end of June including $85 million in federal contributions.
