Feds and Manitoba fund $72M for French education, school divisions keen

Some Manitoba school divisions are optimistic about new French language funding, but say it’s too soon to know the full impact.

On Oct. 14, the provincial and federal governments announced a funding agreement totalling more than $72 million, spread over four years, for Manitoba French language programs. The funding will be used for programs from preschool to post-secondary levels.

Division scolaire franco-manitobaine (DSFM) board chair Bernard Lesage sees the funding as a boost for programming in the division. However many details still need to be negotiated between the province, the school division and the federal government, he said.

A spokesperson for the Manitoba’s Minister of Education Tracy Schmidt provided a list of programs that will get funding.

Funding will help with teacher bursaries, support for teacher recruitment and retention and a “special grant” for DSFM. However, no amounts were stated.

The spokesperson noted the province will spend $30 million per year, an increase compared to the mandated $18 million in the agreement.

Manitoba’s Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt called the funding “essential” for Manitoba students.

“By offering quality education in French as a second language programs, we provide our children with the tools to develop a strong bilingual identity,” she said in a statement.

Colin Campbell, superintendent for the Seine River School Division, said he hasn’t received any information communicating if the division will get any of the new funding.

He said recruiting teachers for the division’s French immersion schools is often “top of mind.”

“Each year comes as a bit of a challenge to fill positions,” Campbell said. “Thankfully, starting this year we were able to fill those positions. But it gets close year after year.”

He said one of the difficulties is trying to have French-speaking teachers not just in classrooms but also in other programs such as music and physical education.

In June 2023, the former Progressive Conservative provincial government released a recruitment and retention strategy for French language teachers, working with DSFM, school divisions that have French immersion programs and l’Université de Saint-Boniface. That plan runs until 2026.

While the Hanover School Division is aware of the federal funding available, its too early to determine whether it benefit students, said Bob Wiebe, the division’s communications manager, in an email statement.

He said the division doesn’t offer any French immersion programming and directs students to DSFM schools.