The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division will have additional staff for the 2024-2025 school year after receiving $3.5 million in funding through Jordan’s Principle.
The division will use the funds to hire educational assistants (EA) and mentors for the upcoming school year. Sask. Rivers Director of Education Neil Finch said they were pleased to receive this federal funding.
“The more we can put a supports in our classrooms to help our vulnerable population, the better we’re able to achieve what we’re trying to achieve,” Finch said.
In total, the division will have more than 40 mentors and 27 EAs thanks to the additional funding. They received approval for the EAs in July and the mentors in August.
The division will receive $1.2 million for the EAs, and $2.35 million for the mentors.
The division submitted the applications in April but the processing took an additional nine weeks for EAs and six weeks for mentors.
In his memo to the board, Finch said he was pleased to have it approved in July and August before school startup.
Jordan’s Principle is a federally funded for First Nations children up to age 18 who live on reserves or in urban centers. The aim of the program is to ensure that there are no gaps in services for Indigenous children. Groups or individuals can make applications for supports including mental health and special education, among others.
Jordan’s Principle helps ensure all First Nations children living in Canada can access the products, services, and supports they need, when they need them.
All applications are made collaboratively with families and must be approved by a parent or guardian.
Most mentor and EA positions will be filled before school startup.
The Prince Albert Catholic School Division was also approved for funding through Jordan’s Principle.
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