Quesnel received $ 357,657 from the provincial government to help offset the costs incurred by families as a result of inflation.
Superintendent Dan Lowndes goes over some of the things they are doing district-wide.
“They’ll see a reduction in things like student fees, supplements for field trips, supplements for school sport trips, elementary arts, grad fees, yearbooks, things like that. We’ll also be bolstering our breakfast and lunch programs, working with the cafeteria providers at both QJ and Correlieu to offer affordable food options.”
Lowndes says there will also be supports for students and families that have been disproportionately impacted by the rising cost of living.
“We’ve partnered with community to find creative ways to provide food, clothing, shoes, and supplies for those who are again disproportionately effected by the hardship. And we’re doing it in a way that’s discreet, and we’re ensuring that the dollars remain local.  Business owners in Quesnel are parents of our students, and they’ve been greatly effected over the last few years. We want to make sure that we support local businesses in any way we can.”
Lowndes says this will be done in a stigma free way through existing hardship practices to make sure that no one feels uncomfortable.
And he says a number of the allocations will be done at the school level.
“Principals do a lot of work with the students and families around a certain set of criteria to determine which students could use support, and this is also work we do with the community on, so community helps us to identify students or families who may be able to access these funds.”
Lowndes says he’s quite proud of their ability to maximize the use of these funds in partnership with community.
The Cariboo/Chilcotin School District received $547,562 from this fund.