Edmonton public school board asks Ottawa for $2M to educate Syrian students
500 new students arrived after funding cut-off, Edmonton Public Schools says
The Edmonton public school board is asking the federal government to help with the cost of educating Syrian students who have arrived in the city over the last few months.
About 500 students from refugees families have been integrated into school classrooms since the new year, the district says.
The district is asking for more than $2 million from the federal government.
"We are committed to providing a high-quality education for each and every one of our students," said board chair Michael Janz in a news release.
"But finding resources to integrate hundreds of additional students is a challenge. We feel this is a fair request to make considering this is a federal priority."
Typically the provincial government funds education based — in part — on student enrolment figures finalized at the beginning of the school year, the district said.
But as the new students arrived later in the year, no funds were allocated.