Hamilton’s two school boards have budgeted several million dollars for COVID-19-related safety measures for a fall return but board execs and the head of the city’s teachers union are not sure it will be enough.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWDCSB) approved an operating budget of around $400 million for the 2020-21 school year with a capital budget of just under $20 million.
About $1.5 million of that money will be allocated to costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the reopening of Catholic schools.
The money is expected to cover the purchase of personal protection equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies, technology, special education support, student mental health and the hiring of additional custodial staff.
However, in a release on Thursday afternoon, chairperson Pat Daly admitted he wasn’t sure the money would be enough to cover all the measures.
“At this point, it is unknown whether the level of funding will be sufficient,” the release said.
On Monday, The Hamilton-Wentworth District school board estimated that $2.1 million would be needed to accommodate costs connected to COVID-19 during the 2020-21 school year, which is expected to cover mental health supports, special education needs, and enhanced cleaning supplies.
Director of education Manny Figuerido told Global News that supplies have been purchased by the school with some help from the province but could not indicate whether the purchase would be enough for the coming year.
“There’s no previous playbook that we could be can draw from and say, here’s our previous experience,” said Figuerido.
Jeff Sorensen, president of the Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers’ Local, says allocating money for supplies in schools to battle the spread of the virus can’t be where the issue ends.
He believes the real key will be distancing among students and teachers in the fall return and that province and schools should be utilizing more outdoor and community spaces to house students during class.
“At the very least, we should be running at 100 per cent efficiency, using every possible space, reducing numbers as much as possible,” said Sorenson.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Education announced it would allow school boards to access an estimated $500 million in reserve funds to enhance physical distancing measures for the 2020-21 school year.
The reserve funds are an addition to the $309 million the province already promised school boards in July to cover COVID-19 related expenses, including $60 million for PPE and $100 million for custodians and enhanced cleaning products.
The government said it would also spend $50 million to update school HVAC systems across the province.
Minister Stephen Lecce believes that with strict health and safety protocols, children can return to schools safely in the fall, amid the pandemic.
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“Let me be perfectly clear. If the best medical minds in the province did not think it was safe for your child to go back to school, the choice would have been simple,” Lecce said.
Sorenson says the issue of ventilation will be challenging as many of the city’s schools are aging and don’t have proper windows let alone proper air conditioning.
Earlier this week, Figuerido also showed concern over HVAC systems in HWDSB schools, saying the board is concerned about infrastructure that has not been upgraded for years.
“So we have our facilities management departments contracting a third-party company to come look at our systems to make sure that the air exchange is happening more frequently,” Figuerido said.
Sorenson says he takes his hat off to the school boards for doing as much as they can, believing that the lack of resources is the making of the Doug Ford government.
“I don’t know why we’re deciding to close the purse strings when it comes to education and opened them up for everything else,” said Sorenson.
HWDSB says it has 11.8M in reserve fund for COVID-19
Following the minister of education’s Thursday announcement on reserve funds, Hamilton’s school board revealed it has $11.8 million available for use.
However, the news appeared to be less than thrilling for HWDSB chair Alex Johnstone. In a Twitter post, Johnstone called the money ‘not new’ and ‘far below’ funding they need to accommodate reduced class sizes.
“Boards now deplete their reserve funds for annual emergencies – roof leak, boiler break,” Johnstone said.
The board has called a meeting for August 24 to reassess financing for the 2020-21 school year.
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