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Legislative Update – February 22, 2022

2022 2/22 | Connects Page, Education Finance, Education Policy, Ontario Newsroom, Provincial Updates

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario has now resumed.

2022-2023 Grant For Student Needs (GSN) and Priorities and Partnership Fund

On February 17, the Ministry of Education released information about the 2022-23 Grants for Student Needs Funding (GSN) and the Priorities and Partnership Fund. This was significantly earlier than in previous years, including last year, when the GSN was released in early May. OPSBA issued a statement of support for those funding areas that aligned with our priorities and recent education funding submission. A focus of our submission was on the need for helping students and schools post-pandemic, including mental health supports.  OPSBA staff will be reviewing these and providing an overview of this information to all members, which will also be posted on this website.

See the following:

The Ministry has released several education funding memos which are available at: Education funding, 2022-23 | ontario.ca

  • Memo B03, 2022–23 Grants for Student Needs Funding
  • Memo B04, Capital funding for the 2022-23 school year
  • Memo B05, 2022-23 Priorities and Partnerships Funding (PPF)
    • Appendix A – 2022-23 Priorities and Partnerships Funding allocations
    • Appendix B – Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON) System
  • Memo SB04, Student transportation – Grants for Student Needs 2022-23

COVID-19 Update / Return to School Winter 2022

The Government of Ontario launched its school closures and absenteeism webpage in January. As of February 18, three schools across Ontario were closed, which is 0.06% of all schools. A summary of school-by-school student and staff absences is provided, but it is not broken down by the reason for absence. Data is current as of 2 p.m. the previous weekday.

On February 14, the Ontario government announced that it would be easing public health measures sooner and the next phase of restrictions were lifted February 17. In addition, as of 8 a.m. February 18, booster dose eligibility was expanded to youth aged 12 to 17. Appointments can be booked through the provincial booking system and the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre, as well as at select pharmacies administering the Pfizer vaccine. Appointments will be booked for approximately six months (168 days) after a second dose. To book an appointment online, individuals must be 12 years old at the time of appointment.

On March 1, the government plans to lift all remaining capacity limits in indoor public settings. Proof of vaccination requirements for all settings will also be removed at this time. Businesses and other settings may choose to continue to require proof of vaccination. Masking requirements will remain in place at this time, with a specific timeline to lift this measure to be communicated at a later date.

Ministry of Education Communications

Similar to last month, the Ministry of Education released a package of February communications. The cover memo is broken down into two documents, Items 1 to 12, and Item 13, and contains embedded links to specific topics. Once again, the memo includes requests for specific boards to complete and share information.

The communications summary package also includes two items of interest:

  1. 2022 Election Deadline Extension for Certain Student Trustees – The deadline for the election of student trustees serving one-year terms has been extended from February 28 to April 30, 2022. See the updated regulation.
  2. 2022-2023 School Year Calendar – The deadline for both regular and modified school year calendars is March 1, 2022, and the deadline for PA plans is August 15, 2022. See the School Year Calendar regulation.

Other News Releases and Information

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