For the second largest school district in the province, the funding decision amounts to a $13.8 million reduction to the base instruction grant and a $3.7 million cut to transportation. "These changes significantly impact our ability to support students, all of our students," board chair Trisha Estabrooks said at Tuesday's meeting. School districts were also asked to immediately issue notices to non-essential support staff and bus drivers, while limiting the use of substitute teachers. "We have a plan on how we're going to support students, so we need the flexibility to figure out what staff are essential to put this plan in place. But I'll be clear: we would like to keep all of our staff in place so we can fully support students as we make this monumental transition."

Source: CBC News March 31, 2020 21:23 UTC