View From the Legislature

Traditionally at this time of the year there is a great deal of excitement in the homes of school aged children as the return to school nears. Of course, this year is different in many ways and the return to school is different as well. With the world dealing with COVID-19, the return to school has an added level of anxiety for many parents and students.

With the support and advice of public health, Manitoba has been working on a back to school plan almost from the day that in-class learning was suspended back in March. Of course, back in March it was not certain what a return to school would look like, but it was certain that it would look different. With that in mind, school divisions were asked to accumulate the savings that they garnered when in-class learning ended. Overall, school divisions saved a total of $48 million on things such as transportation.

When schools reopened successfully on a limited basis in June, it was an opportunity for school administrators to learn how to organize and structure the school in a way that follows public health protocols. In addition, advance work was happening on what would be needed for a full return to class in September. Those plans were advanced in July as the Welcoming our Students Back plan was released which provided provincial wide protocols regarding things such as spacing and how to manage suspected cases of COVID-19 in schools. School divisions also began spending some of the savings that they had accumulated in the spring on such things as sanitation supplies and personal protection equipment.

The Manitoba Government acknowledged at that time that there would be a need for additional financial support for school divisions as they worked on their plans to return students to school. However, it was also understood that the needs of school divisions would not all be the same. After working with education stakeholders, I was pleased to announce on Monday morning that $52 million would be made available to the public and independent school system to support their safe reopening plans.

These funds are in addition to the $48 million in savings from the spring, bringing a total of $100 million of available support. The money can be used for such things as personal protection equipment, transportation, ensuring there are enough teachers and bus drivers available and sanitization supplies.

We know from hearing from parents that it is important to them that their children return to school. However, we also know that they have questions and concerns related to COVID-19 and want to ensure that their schools are prepared to deal with issues as they arise. This week’s announcement is a demonstration that we are committed to supporting staff and students as they return to in-class learning. It is important that all education stakeholders continue to work closely together as we all have the same goal, ensuring our students can be in school safely.