Further belt tightening by school districts across the province has resulted in $25 million in administrative savings, and each board will get a share of the pie.
Education Minister Mike Bernier made the announcement on Tuesday morning at Surrey’s Holly Elementary School, noting that the Surrey School District will get $3.12 million.
“I want to start by thanking the school districts for all the hard work they’ve done…in districts right across the province of B.C.,” Bernier said.
What will the money be used for?
Bernier said that decision has been left up to trustees in each district.
“From busing, new teachers, new school programs, even keeping a school open, it will allow school districts to make those decisions,” he said.
NDP leader John Horgan said the education ministry’s program to demand administrative savings from B.C.’s 60 school districts was directed by Premier Christy Clark two years ago, and Tuesday’s announcement is an effort to put an end to bad publicity over local school cuts.
“Parents, teachers, district representatives have been grappling with these issues for 23 months, and in the last hour the premier comes forward with next to nothing,” Horgan said.
“This $25 million that will not be clawed back does not cover the additional costs for broadband technologies that will be coming into school districts. That’s $26 million.”
Fraser Valley school districts will be sharing the funding:
• Abbotsford—$846,484
• Langley—$851,770
• Surrey—$3,128,483
• Chilliwack—$603,535
• Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows—$631,773
• Delta—$690,188
BC Teachers Federation president Jim Iker said Tuesday’s announcement shows the government is “listening to the building public pressure.”
The $25 million “is an important turning point for public education as it shows the government is feeling the pressure one year out from a provincial election,” Iker said. “Public advocacy clearly works.”
Other districts receiving funding include:
SD 5 Southeast Kootenay—$277,377
SD 6 Rocky Mountain—$168,700
SD 8 Kootenay Lake—$252,383
SD 10 Arrow Lakes—$36,091
SD 19 Revelstoke—$51,315
SD 20 Kootenay-Columbia—$178,204
SD 22 Vernon—$382,586
SD 23 Central Okanagan—$967,983
SD 27 Cariboo-Chilcotin—$259,687
SD 28 Quesnel—$168,780
SD 39 Vancouver—$2,251,318
SD 40 New Westminster—$295,560
SD 41 Burnaby—$1,027,783
SD 43 Coquitlam—$1,338,556
SD 44 North Vancouver—$665,252
SD 45 West Vancouver—$284,472
SD 46 Sunshine Coast—$182,072
SD 47 Powell River—$105,664
SD 48 Sea to Sky—$224,674
SD 49 Central Coast—$28,001
SD 50 Haida Gwaii—$50,678
SD 51 Boundary—$77,888
SD 52 Prince Rupert—$123,861
SD 53 Okanagan Similkameen—$118,102
SD 54 Bulkley Valley—$110,533
SD 57 Prince George—$622,655
SD 58 Nicola-Similkameen—$122,301
SD 59 Peace River South—$205,328
SD 60 Peace River North—$307,317
SD 61 Greater Victoria—$827,353
SD 62 Sooke—$450,041
SD 63 Saanich—$329,692
SD 64 Gulf Islands—$99,976
SD 67 Okanagan Skaha—$266,527
SD 68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith—$593,079
SD 69 Qualicum—$197,263
SD 70 Alberni—$184,456
SD 71 Comox Valley—$354,941
SD 72 Campbell River—$255,596
SD 73 Kamloops/Thompson—$673,698
SD 74 Gold Trail—$97,792
SD 75 Mission—$280,146
SD 78 Fraser-Cascade—$96,520
SD 79 Cowichan Valley—$348,411
SD 81 Fort Nelson—$48,645
SD 82 Coast Mountains—$248,728
SD 83 North Okanagan-Shuswap—$302,206
SD 84 Vancouver Island West—$40,077
SD 85 Vancouver Island North—$89,257
SD 87 Stikine—$27,319
SD 91 Nechako Lakes—$253,903
SD 92 Nisga’a—$38,961
SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone—$386,075
—with files from Tom Fletcher