Both Northern Lights Public Schools and St. Paul Education Regional Division No. 1 will be seeing hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra provincial funding next school year as part of The Classroom Improvement Fund.
The fund was introduced as part of the agreement reached between the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the province in May. Under the agreement, school boards and teachers will create a joint proposal for how the money will be used by school authorities.
“Our government is protecting and improving education and making life better for Alberta students,” said Minister of Education David Eggen in a statement. “We have continued to provide boards with stable and predictable funding, and now the new Classroom Improvement Fund will allow us to go further in supporting our students and preparing them for their futures. We are pleased to see school boards’ representatives and teachers come together to put this new money to good use.”
Northern Lights will receive 736,000 dollars from the fund next year while St. Paul will receive 444,000. However, the money must be used for a specific set of purposes. Eligible uses include new teachers and support staff, in-classroom resources, and professional development supports.
School boards and teachers have until December 15th to submit their proposals for the funds to the government, who will then either approve or reject them.