BARRHEAD/WESTLOCK — Pembina Hills School Division has been approved for a $542,000 grant from the Alberta government to hire two additional social workers as part of a pilot project to improve the mental health of students and families.
At their Nov. 30 meeting, Pembina Hills trustees reviewed a letter from Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange indicating that the division had been approved for the conditional grant.
“This is really positive for our community,” said Supt. Michael Borgfjord, noting that the new hires will complement the two mental health workers the division already has in place.
“We’re looking at finding ways to increase our attendance with some of our kids and (provide) extra support for the mental health of our students."
Borgfjord said he and assistant superintendent of student services Rob McGarva had worked on a plan to introduce additional mental health supports in schools.
He said they asked for exactly $542,000 in their application, which was submitted in September. For a time, they weren’t sure that the province was going to accept their proposal.
“We’re very excited that we got the full amount. We weren’t sure what we would get,” Borgfjord said, adding they believed they would have to apply for the funding again in 2023, but this grant covers a full two years.
He suggested the conversation trustees had with Minister LaGrange about continuity in hiring, especially around mental health, is important.
Borgfjord stressed the need for additional mental health supports is definitely there, noting that when the pilot project was discussed at a recent meeting of school principals, they welcomed the news.
“Schools are really excited,” he said. “I think they’re seeing the benefit of additional mental health supports.”
Borgfjord noted that receiving the grant was contingent on partnering with another entity, such as a school division or outside agency.
For this project, they partnered up with the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) programs in Barrhead and Westlock, which are already working in schools.
Even so, he clarified that the two new workers will be employed by the school division.
He also noted McGarva started interviewing two new potential social workers as soon as they received news of the grant.
While it is possible he might have two workers hired before Christmas, Borgfjord guaranteed that they would be in place in January.
Incidentally, the letter follows an announcement by LaGrange on Nov. 16 where she revealed the government would be doubling the funding previously allocated to support nearly 60 mental health pilots in schools to $40 million.
“We are aware that as students continue to recover from learning disruptions, additional mental health supports are needed to ensure each individual is able to move forward to reach their fullest potential within the school system,” LaGrange said, in a release.
“This investment ensures that students across Alberta have adequate access to mental health resources and support, which will result in a better chance of participating in meaningful learning and relationship building.”
Board chair Judy Lefebvre noted that amongst the pilot projects to receive funding, Pembina Hills got nearly as much money as divisions that have over twice the number of students.
“So we did well,” she said.
