The provincial government is hiring more resources, and a steering committee has been struck to meet weekly to monitor the K-12 education system.

Education Minister Tom Osborne yesterday announced that 70 substitute teachers are being hired on full-time term contracts to help alleviate the needs in the system due to COVID-19.

Existing custodial staff are being extended to full-time hours, while more custodial staff are being hired to handle school sanitation.

Osborne says the changes come as the result of a meeting yesterday between government, opposition, school board, and union officials.

He reached out to the NDP’s Jim Dinn and Tory Education critic Craig Pardy to meet regularly and work cooperatively to ensure that back-to-school runs as smoothly as possible.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Tom Osborne says he, Jim Dinn and Craig Pardy will meet on Monday to discuss the busing issue and how it will work, and while they have some ideas, they’ll meet first before releasing any details.