Manitoba spending $2M on student supports, including boost for remote learning centre

The Manitoba government says it's spending about $2 million to bolster learning and counselling supports for students across the province ahead of their return to schoolnext week.

About half that money is going to the province's remote learning support centre for after-school learning helpfor students from Grade 1 to Grade 8, Education Minister Wayne Ewasko said at a Tuesday news conference.

Another $390,000 will go toward supporting online resources and video-streaming services, including enhancements to support educators in French, French immersion and French-English programs.

Another $150,000 will go to Kids Help Phone, to support 24/7 counselling and crisis supports for students, Ewasko said.

Andrew Mead, principal of the remote learning support centre, said he expects nearly 200 students will be enrolled in it this school year and the money announced by the province will help support those students.

"Though most children are best served by an in-classroom learning experience, many thrive in remote learning. And there are many reasons why," he said alongside Ewasko.

In addition to teachers, the centre also has a social worker, guidance counsellor and resource teacher, fitness instructor, music teacher and educational assistants on staff, Mead said.

The announcement comes just before most students go back to classes next week, which Ewasko said will once again include regular school activities that students look forward to.

"Students can look forward to field trips again. Manitoba parents can look forward to seeing their kids participate in school sports and perform at band recitals," he said.

Winnipeg dad Tyler Peikes said while his school-age kidseight-year-old Rory and five-year-old Addie were eventually able to catch up at school, remote learning was tough for them. He's glad it looks like things are getting back to normal this school year.

"I think what all the kids were missing was sort of the one-on-one attention that they need," he said, adding his kids didn't fare quite as poorly as some others.

"I really feel for families where the kids needed that more. The time that they had, even in front of the camera with the teacher, was pretty limited compared to the time that they have in class.

"So a lot of it really relied on kids doing things on their own, which can be tough, I think."

Money for research

The province is also dedicating money for two separate projects to analyze how kids are doing, each of which will get$250,000.

One is a partnership with the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy at the University of Manitoba that will assess the pandemic's effects on learning outcomes.

The other is the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Survey, which will collect data on the health, well-being, social environments and health behaviours of students from grades 6 to 10, Ewasko said.

The province will also distribute $4.5 million in federal funding for ventilation projects, like carbon dioxide monitors and air filter upgrades, Ewasko said. That money will go to about 300 projects at 250 schools across Manitoba, he said.

Ewasko said rapid antigen COVID-19 tests and face masks will still be available for school divisions to order through the province's distribution centre.

Reduce class sizes: MTS

The latest funding announcement comes two months after the province announced roughly $20 million for student supports from kindergarten to Grade 12.

That money included $11 million on a per-pupil basis to let schools and divisions direct funding where it's needed in the upcoming school year.

Another $9 million was earmarked for students and schools most affected by the pandemic, including those entering school late or coming back to class from home-school arrangements, the province said in a news release at the time.

An additional $200,000 was set aside for free credit recovery summer school programs for Manitoba high school students in the Pembina Trails and St. James-Assiniboia divisions, the release said.

Nathan Martindale, vice-president of the Manitoba Teachers' Society, said while the union appreciates the extra cash for specific projects, public schools still lack adequate funding.

In an emailed statement, Martindale acknowledged the province is reviewing its education funding model, but said students need support in the meantime.

He called for reduced class sizes, supports for nutrition, and expanded Indigenous education to be prioritized.

At Tuesday's announcement, Ewasko said the province is implementing an Indigenous education policy framework to support the holistic achievements of First Nations, Mtis and Inuit students.

Manitoba spending $2M on student supports

2 years ago

Duration 2:21

Manitoba kids are heading back to school next week. Today the province announced new funding to help make up for some of the disruptions caused by COVID-19.