THUNDER BAY – The Lakehead District School Board received $43,000 in funding from the province during the last school year to provide special education transportation to 86 students, but that funding only covers transportation costs for one rural-based student.
It cost the board more than $425,000 to transport those 86 students, which left the school board with a funding gap of more than $382,000.
School board chair Leah Vanderwey brought those concerns on behalf of the Lakehead District School Board to pre-budget consultations late last year and the board is again bringing the issue of insufficient funding to the Ministry of Education with a letter.
Special education transportation is for students who can’t access a regular school bus, said Vanderwey.
“In other parts of the province they use the smaller buses; we don't have access to that so we have to rely on vans and taxis,” she said.
Not only is the board asking for funding to address the special education transportation needs, but it also is asking for more supports for special education students, particularly those with autism.
Vanderwey said they have a long list of students looking for services and supports.
In 2021, the percentage of students with autism enrolled in elementary school was 1.9 per cent. In 2024, that number doubled to 3.8 per cent.
The provincial average is 1.4 per cent.
“That's concerning because there's not a lot of supports and services, especially in Northwestern Ontario,” said Vanderwey. “We’re always focused on equity for our students, so we need them to have the same access to quality education that students across the province have.”
Transportation costs for the Lakehead District School Board are high because of the board’s large geographic jurisdiction, which includes Armstrong, Vanderwey noted.
“That’s why we really want the provincial government or the Ministry of Education to have a conversation with us and to actually look at what we face in Northwestern Ontario,” she said.
The board’s letter also speaks to benchmark funding for transportation, which is based on 2018 costs. Inflation was factored into those costs, but Vanderwey said inflation increased 20 per cent while the cost of a school bus increased by 50 per cent.
“So again, it’s gaps. How do we address the gaps,” she said. “It’s that equity piece to make sure all students have access to a quality education.”
