The 2025 budget includes some significant spending in education, accounting for 17 per cent of total expenses.
Perhaps the biggest increase goes to the K-12 system.
Government is pumping an additional $20-million into the teaching services budget, which they say will result in 400 new teachers and learning assistants. That funding will increase to $44-million next year. As well, government is putting $850,000 towards recruitment and retention initiatives for positions in hard-to-fill areas.
Five-million dollars is being put towards technology devices and infrastructure in K-12 schools, an amount which will be doubled next year. An additional $24-million is being put into the expansion of school food programming in pre-kindergarten and K-9 schools. That brings the total funding for that program to $42-million.
Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell (VOCM News)
Under post-secondary education, over $400-million is being set aside for Memorial University. That includes $312-million for the institution’s core operating grant, and $78-million for the Faculty of Medicine – which includes nearly $7-million to increase undergrad seats, clerkships and the expansion of internal medicine.
As well, $70-million will be given to the university over the next eight years to help with deferred maintenance. Funding for the College of the North Atlantic has been increased by $11-million to $82-million, and government is giving CNA over $3-million for an electric boiler at their Prince Phillip Drive Campus.
Under the early learning umbrella, $110-million is being funneled into the operating grant program and $10-dollar-a-day daycare, $3.9-million for projects to increase the number of childcare spaces, and $1.7-million for grants and bursaries to encourage people to become ECEs.
Health Care Another Main Focus of Budget 2025
Interim Health Minister John Haggie (VOCM News)
Meanwhile, government is putting a significant amount of money behind health care initiatives.
Included in that is $10-million to reduce backlogs – such as through the expansion of MRI and CT services, expanded capacity for orthopedic surgeries and joint replacements, an outpatient ambulatory care clinic at Carbonear General, a dedicated hip fracture unit at St. Clare’s, and five additional orthopedic surgery beds.
There is also a focus on mental health and addictions supports.
Six-million-dollars is going towards addiction recovery, including a 10-bed unit in Labrador, $5.7-million to Choices for Youth to support their programs, and over $600,000 to increase the availability of Naloxone kits.
Cancer care and screening is also getting a bump – $1.5-million has been put aside for human papilloma virus screening, and another $1.5-million is going toward the expansion of the lung cancer screening program.
Elsewhere, $140-million is being put into a modernized health information system, and over $26-million is going into the integration of the integration of ambulance services – including $8.5-million for the expansion of emergency medevac services.
