Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates is calling on the Ford government to provide emergency funding for Niagara's public school board.
Gates says the District School Board of Niagara has welcomed 400 new students who were relocated through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
He says the DSBN has requested $500,000 in additional, targeted support for students who are new to Canada, including multi-language resource teachers, social workers, and translation software.
“The board came to the Ministry and were promised help. Now, they have been left waiting months with no answer, while the bills pile up,” said Gates. “Niagara education workers and our teachers deserve to have the resources needed to provide quality education in our schools. Ford and Lecce must engage meaningfully with the District School Board of Niagara and ensure they have the necessary funding to support all students in our community.”
According to Gates the Niagara school board has spent an additional $300,000 outside of their regular spending models.
"After repeated follow-ups with the minister, the school board is still waiting for support."
“This is a very real and very urgent issue that the Ministry needs to address,” said Gates.
“The board needs support from the province to ensure students in Niagara are receiving the education they need and deserve. I am committed to helping the Niagara Board get the engagement and support they deserve from this government."