School Board receives additional $1.5-million from Ministry

$20.6-million has been added to maintenance and transportation funding for B.C. schools.

The announcement was made by the Ministry of Education, as details were released for the increase being put towards five programs:

• School Enhancement Program
• Carbon Neutral Capital Program
• Bus Acquisition Program
• Building Envelope Program
• Annual Facility Grant

With that, School District 57 will take $1.5-million in additional funds, putting the money towards the completion of projects at four area schools.

SD-57 Chair, Tim Bennett says the schools receiving the benefit of the added funds will be Foothills, Heather Park, Peden Hill, and Spruceland Elementary.

“The School Enhancement Fund will help get that work done and allow us to stretch our Annual Facility Grant a little bit further and be able to complete some other projects,” said Bennett.

Bennett adds that had the board not received the additional allowance, the projects likely would have drawn funding from their Annual Facility Grant that had already been in place or had been paid for using the possible surplus from their annual budget.

“Now that these are being covered with this fund, it allows us to use those dollars on other projects, and be able to utilize our surplus to create better opportunities for students.”