$1.4M funding to local school boards to help students recover from disruptions of pandemic

The provincial government is directing record funding to five local school boards aimed at helping students to return to a more normal school year following disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith announced more than $1.4 billion for the 2022-23 school year for the five boards serving the riding.

“COVID-19 has impacted every single person living in Ontario, including students,” said Smith. “These investments will ensure students in our region have access to the supports they need to recover from the pandemic disruptions so that they can reach their full potential. Recognizing the importance of mental health, our government is also providing additional resources to ensure students feel safe and supported at school.”

The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board is to receive $205,170,155, including $2.5 million in learning recovery funding, $26.5 million in special education funding, $1 million in mental health and well-being funding, and $15.6 million in transportation funding. (2021-2022 projection: $199,663,052)

The Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board is to receive $156,410,294, including $2 million in learning recovery funding, $20.4 million in special education funding, $963,000 in mental health and well-being funding, and $11.7 million in transportation funding. (2021-2022 projection: $153,228,123)

The plan includes initiatives with five pillars: tutoring supports that will also include partnerships with community organizations; supporting student resilience and mental well-being; strengthening numeracy and literacy skills; modernizing curriculum and programs to emphasize job and life skills and resuming EQAO assessments to measure and assess learning levels.

In recognition of increasing demands for digital learning in the classroom and increased network capacity, Ontario will be investing an additional $40 million in the 2022-23 Grants for Student Needs (GSN), to support the cost of associated with network connectivity, infrastructure, security and related operations in schools and school board buildings as usage increases and technology evolves.