BSD unaffected by Jordan’s Principle funding cuts
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/05/2025 (224 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Brandon School Division will not be affected by federal funding cuts to Jordan’s Principle that are forcing staffing reductions in other Manitoba school divisions.
Jordan’s Principle is a child-first initiative aimed at ensuring equitable access to services for First Nations children.
The Swan Valley School Division in western Manitoba, where nearly 40 per cent of students self-identify as Indigenous, announced the layoff of 40 educational assistants due to the discontinuation of $2.2 million in federal funding.
Mathew Gustafson
The Swan River-based board said the Jordan’s Principle funding, which supported First Nations children throughout the 2024–25 school year, will not be renewed for 2025–26.
The Brandon School Division will not be affected by the Jordan’s Principle funding withdrawal, Supt. Mathew Gustafson told the Sun on Friday.
“Brandon School Division doesn’t receive any funding from Jordan’s Principle for educational assistants,” Gustafson said. “Families might access Jordan’s Principle for a variety of reasons, but it’s not something that flows to the division to fund educational staff.”
Gustafson explained that BSD has engaged with Jordan’s Principle in a different capacity. In October 2022, the division partnered with the Southern Chiefs’ Organization to facilitate the presence of a Jordan’s Principle co-ordinator in Brandon.
“It was a co-operative effort,” he noted. “The families work with the Jordan’s Principle co-ordinator, and our role was to provide a space for that individual and work collaboratively with the Southern Chiefs’ Organization.”
While families within the division continue to benefit from Jordan’s Principle on a case-by-case basis, the direct impact on BSD operations has been minimal due to the absence of federal funding for educational assistant staffing.
The changes to Jordan’s Principle funding have hit rural divisions particularly hard. In addition to Swan Valley’s recent cuts, the Hanover School Division laid off 93 educational assistants earlier this school year in response to similar funding reductions.
Rolling River School Division Supt. Jason Cline did not respond to the Sun’s calls for comment on the impact of the development on the division.
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