Both School District Five and Six are receiving an injection of funding from the BC Government.
The Province is providing school districts with a total of $95 million to help them extend the life of their facilities, put new supplies in classrooms and buy new school buses.
Every school district in the province will receive a portion of this funding, which is being allocated through four provincial programs.
The Southeast Kootenay School District will receive nearly one million dollars, which includes funding for lighting upgrades in Elkford and a roofing upgrade for Mount Baker Secondary in Cranbrook.
In the Rocky Mountain School District, $130,629 will go toward purchasing a new school bus, while $407,200 will be spent on upgrading roofing at Lady Grey Elementary in Golden.
A breakdown of the funding in both districts can be found below:
Southeast Kootenay School District (SD 5)
* School Enhancement Program – $467,060 to upgrade roofing at Mount Baker Secondary
* Student Learning Grant – $273,050
* Carbon Neutral Capital Program – $199,089 for lighting upgrades at Elkford Secondary
* Total – $939,199
Rocky Mountain School District (SD 6)
* School Enhancement Program – $407,200 to upgrade roofing at Lady Grey Elementary
* Student Learning Grant – $157,822
* School Bus Replacement Program – $130,629 for one 76 passenger bus
* Total – $695,651
Under the School Enhancement Program, all school districts will receive a portion of this year’s $53-million investment, supporting 223 school improvement projects. This program helps school districts extend the life of their facilities through of a variety of upgrade projects.
Every school district will also receive a portion of $27.4 million from the new Student Learning Grant, which was announced in February. Districts will use the funding to purchase classroom equipment and supplies such as textbooks, lab equipment and art supplies. Districts will begin back-to-school planning with parents and teachers now to determine how best to use the one-time funding to reduce costs for parents and help teachers deliver B.C.’s new curriculum.
Fifteen school districts will become more energy efficient with a $5-million investment under the Carbon Neutral Capital Program. School districts will use the money to fund projects that cut greenhouse gas emissions. These upgrades benefit schools by saving them money on electricity, natural gas and maintenance. Schools can put the money they save back into classrooms.
Students in 25 school districts will benefit from 71 new and replacement buses with a $9.4-million investment under the School Bus Replacement Program. The new buses will make traveling to school safer and more reliable for students.
As a result of B.C.’s strong economy and balanced budget, the Government of British Columbia is able to support record funding increases for students and B.C.’s education system. Budget 2017 commits an additional $740 million in operating funds over the next three years. Combined with $400 million in previously announced budget increases, this means an additional $1.1 billion in funding will benefit the K-12 system over the next three years. In addition, Budget 2017 supports $2 billion in capital spending to upgrade or build new schools over the next three years.
– From the BC Government
