Exshaw School facing closure after Ottawa slashes funding for Indigenous students

Next year could be the last for Exshaw School, forcing 200 First Nations students to find a new school. Indigenous Services Canada has cut the school district’s per-student funding from $19,268 per student to approximately $11,500. That amounts to a $1.68 million shortfall that would force the district to close the school. “This is a sacred place for us,” said Phillomene Stevens, a Stoney Knowledge Keeper and volunteer who works with families to encourage good attendance. &ldqu