Days after she was sworn-in as premier, and mere hours after naming Thomas Lukaszuk as the Minister of Education, millions of dollars are now slated to return to provincial school boards – and it could happen within days.
One of Alison Redford's campaign promises was to restore $107 million in funding to education in Alberta within days of becoming premier.
Six hours after naming her cabinet, new Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk announced the multi-million dollar boost to schools, making good on Redford's campaign pledge.
"We will be reinstating the $107 million in funding which was removed from school boards at the beginning of this year," Premier Redford said at a press conference held Wednesday afternoon.
Redford is referring to a change in the budget in February, where the province only reserved a 4.5 per cent increase in education funding, pushing some school boards to pinch pennies and cut staffing positions.
Education Minister Lukaszuk said the treasury board is working on finding the money, and it will be transferred to school boards as soon as possible.
The transfer could happen within days.
"There will be parameters put around the dollars to make sure [they] end up in classrooms," Lukaszuk said Wednesday. "But school boards will have latitude to apply the dollars to their individual needs."
Lukaszuk said finding the money is the Treasury Board's responsibility, but it will come from unspent funds from a variety of departments throughout the year.
