School divisions planning funding applications for fall expenses

School divisions don’t know yet how much funding they’ll receive or what they need it for, but they’re working hard to figure it out.

On Monday, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced $40 million from a $200-million COVID-19 contingency fund would be available to school divisions on an application basis to help cover pandemic-related costs.

Twylla West, communications and media co-ordinator for the Regina Catholic School Division (RCSD), said the division is still trying to figure out what its financial needs will be for the upcoming school year.

“I can’t imagine that we won’t be applying,” West said. “The costs are adding up quickly.”

West said it is not unusual to see school division costs quickly increase, but not under pandemic circumstances.

“Right now we’re not operating under normal circumstances,” West noted. “Certainly the costs are there and I can imagine we’re going to need to access some of that funding.”

West said she can’t say at this time definitively what needs the division will have that would require additional funding.

“We don’t know what our total savings was just yet,” she said. “We also don’t know what our total costs will be.”

West did say additional staff, for cleaning and other needs, will be a consideration.

“We do need more staff to accomplish everything that’s outlined in our back-to-school plan,” West explained.

Regina Public Schools said it’s working to assimilate the information provided by the Government of Saskatchewan on Monday and over the weekend, but says it’s too early to announce its plans.

“It is premature for the school division to comment further, at this time about the announcements and the potential application for and use of announced funding,” Terry Lazarou, the division’s supervisor of communications, said in an emailed statement.

Regarding Moe’s announcement on a delayed start to the school year, Lazarou said the division is “grateful for the extra time before the beginning of classes to allow staff to prepare even more for the safe return of students.”

While the start of school has been delayed to Sept. 8, the return to the classroom looms for students and parents.

“I think the biggest challenge is that we’re so close and yet we’re still so far away,” West said. “We know that things could change between now and (the start of classes).”

West called the situation complicated and challenging, and said the RCSD is continuing to navigate it with updates to its plan as often as they can.

“We feel like we have a very good plan in place and we feel prepared,” West said.

“I never want to suggest that we’ve finalized a plan; we’re updating a plan and we’re updating it constantly.”

West said this plan will be shared online with parents and students on Aug. 26 so they can better prepare for back to school.

The time remaining before the start of school will be used to further ready facilities, with cleaning and signage among the list of tasks still to be completed.