It is with deep regret that we share an important update regarding services funded through Jordan’s Principle. Due to significant delays and uncertainty in receiving federal funding, Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS) has made the incredibly difficult decision to discontinue these essential supports for First Nations students.
Jordan’s Principle is a federal government program designed to ensure that First Nations children have access to services and supports they need to be successful. In NLPS, a large portion of this funding is used to employ educational assistants. Over the next couple of weeks, NLPS will be making staffing adjustments at our schools to address the shortfall in federal funding.
“These services are essential for our students, and we have done everything possible to continue them for as long as we could,” said Superintendent Rick Cusson. “However, without confirmation of funding from the federal government, and with our financial reserves depleted, we can no longer sustain these services on our own.”
In addition to covering the cost of educational assistants, Jordan’s Principle funding is also used to access specialized services such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy, and resources such as Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. Over 280 students currently receive a variety of services through Jordan’s Principle and the cost of providing all of these services, including educational assistants, for the 2024-2025 school year was budgeted at over $7 million.
NLPS submitted its Jordan’s Principle funding application for the 2024-2025 school year in July 2024, following the same criteria that had been approved in previous years. However, after the submission of the application, the federal government changed its approval process, shifting applications from a regional to a national level. This has created a significant backlog affecting school divisions, families, and organizations across Canada.
Following our regular practice, NLPS hired educational assistants and arranged for contracted services so supports would be available for students starting in September. While there was some uncertainty about the new process, funding approvals in previous years were confirmed between December and February, and we remained hopeful that would continue to be the case again this year. Funding uncertainty escalated in December when we learned that some other school divisions had their applications rejected and that others were discontinuing services due to uncertainty with the process and timing. At that time, the NLPS Board of Trustees and administration decided to continue to upfront the cost of providing the services, using money from school board reserves, so that students could continue to receive supports for as long as possible.
Despite multiple requests, NLPS has not received confirmation of whether our application will be approved or when a decision will be made. By the end of March, we had spent over $3.6 million on these services. With provincial restrictions on school board reserve funds and a planned $4.7 million deficit for this school year, we are no longer in a financial position to continue without confirmation we will be receiving federal funding.
“We recognize the tremendous impact this decision will have on our students and the staff who have been providing these vital supports,” said Cusson. “We will continue to press for the approval of our application while also advocating for long-term solutions at both the federal and provincial levels to ensure all students receive the support they need.”
If the division receives full or partial approval of our application later this year, we are hopeful that some services may be reinstated for the remainder of 2024-2025. However, recent changes to funding criteria will likely reduce services for 2025-2026, and we are also working to gain clarity on how this will affect students moving forward.