KPR’s share of the Ontario government’s $31-million announcement is $1,073,710, according to the local board. The initiative was designed to keep more small-town and rural schools across the province open and properly staffed.

"Our challenge has been trying to generate staffing for all of our schools," says Lloyd, noting it takes 360 students in one school to generate a full-time principal. This is according to a funding formula established in 1998 under the Conservative government.

This led to the creation of such coping mechanisms as "teaching principals" and "twin schools," where a principal would be responsible for two schools, according to Lloyd.

"We believe this helps strengthen rural communities, when an adequate level of funding can ensure the schools remain strong," says Lloyd.

The program will help 1,149 schools across Ontario by broadening the definition of a rural school. Only 683 provincial schools were identified as rural under the previous standard.

Schools will be able to provide fewer classes of combined grades and offer a wider variety of art and music classes to students. The money also means school boards will no longer have to redirect money from other priorities to cover their core operating costs, according to information from the Province.

Lloyd stresses the information the board has is that the new money is for rural schools only, not small urban schools as well. She says KPR does not know each individual school’s breakdown, yet, and "quite typically, we wait to hear about the breakdown for a few weeks."

There are nearly 45,000 students that make up the KPR school board.

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