If the teachers' dispute with the provincial government continues into September, the government will be giving a $40 per day subsidy for each child under 13 attending public school.
The subsidy will be paid with the $12 million per day the provincial government usually spends on teachers' salaries. Parents will register online to receive the money.
Sarah Holland, the president of the Prince George District Parent Advisory Council, said she was of two minds about the announcement.
"I have a couple of thoughts. One is that I am sure that there are some parents that are going to be very relived by this news," she said.
"Secondly, it does seem to remove a little bit of the urgency of settlement, which I'm not sure is a great thing, but certainly I hope that it's not going to be needed at all, as I certainly have a strong hope that there will be a fair and negotiated settlement and school will start in September."
As for whether or not the $40 would be enough to need parents' needs, Holland said the nature of the program meant that both families with a greater need for assistance and no need for assistance would receive the money. She said she understood that might be because distinguishing between the two types of families would increase the cost of administering the subsidy.
"I don't think there's a way to make everybody happy and still remain fiscally viable," she said.
Tina Cousins, the president of the Prince George and District Teachers' Association, said she was disappointed with the announcement.
"The PGDTA would rather the government go to the bargaining table and use the money toward public education," she said. "We feel if the government spent more time bargaining in good faith and dealing with the [B.C. Teachers' Federation] in mediation, we could solve this issue."
Tim Bennett, School District 57's vice-chair, said he and the other trustees learned of the announcement from the media Thursday.
"We as a board have not had an opportunity to meet to discuss the recent announcement and we still stand by our original letter: that we want a negotiated, fully funded agreement in place by September. We hope that today's announcement will be a moot point because class will be back in session for Sept. 2," he said.
