The recent announcement by Premier Alison Redford to reinstate funding for education will result in approximately half a million dollars for St. Paul Education Regional Division, said Superintendent Glen Brodziak on Friday, after a phone conference with the newly appointed Minister of Education Thomas Lukaszuk.
“We are extremely pleased they kept this promise. In the future we would like to see long term, sustained funding but this goes a long way for now,” said Brodziak.
Redford attracted the votes of many teachers who were also Progressive Conservative party members with the promise to return over a hundred million dollars previously cut from the provincial education budget.
Lukaszuk said the $107 million will be found from savings within other departments and will be delivered to school boards within days.
Earlier in the year, the SPERD board approved a $1.2 million deficit budget for the 2011/2012 school year, after the provincial government cut funding to a number of education grants. Nine teaching positions and 15 support staff positions were cut in the division.
“We want to put as much money as possible back into the classroom,” said Brodziak. He intends to sit down and meet with principals from all the division schools and identify the “hot spots” before making a proposal to the board, he said.
At the board meeting on Wednesday, prior to the provincial funding announcement, Brodziak said a half-time Grade 2 teacher has been hired at Glen Avon School. The funding for that position came from increased enrolment of 29 students at the Sept. 30 count.
A large proportion of education funding comes from a per pupil grant which is based on the number of students enrolled in the school division on Sept. 30.
Brodziak told the board he met with principals and they decided collaboratively “G.A. was in most need of the half-time teacher at this time.” He added the principals will discuss further how to allocate any funds remaining from the additional students.
