Students in the Peace River South School District will benefit from almost $2.2 million in provincial funding for school upgrade projects, classroom supplies and new school buses, Education Minister and MLA for Peace River South Mike Bernier announced today.

The district will extend the life of École Frank Ross Elementary school with $1.5 million in School Enhancement Program funding to upgrade the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. Every school district will receive a portion of this year’s $53-million investment, supporting 223 projects.

Under the new Student Learning Grant, the district will receive $175,506 to purchase classroom equipment and supplies such as textbooks, lab equipment and art supplies. The district 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. This one-time grant is providing school districts with a total of $27.4 million.

Little Prairie Elementary school in the district will become more energy efficient this year thanks to $225,000 for a boiler upgrade under the provincial Carbon Neutral Capital Program. These upgrades will help the school save money. This year government is investing over $5 million to support 23 projects in 15 districts under the program.

Students in the district will also benefit from two new 34-76 passenger buses, thanks to $254,832 in School Bus Replacement Program funding. This year government is investing a total of $9.4 million to purchase about 71 new or replacement buses in 25 districts under the program.

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. 

Quote:

Mike Bernier, Minister of Education and MLA for Peace River South –

“I’m excited as the MLA for the South Peace to see this money benefit schools and help us to continue to make our children’s education system one of the best in the world. Our government’s continued investment into School District 59 shows a commitment to the Peace Region and Northern B.C. I look forward to future opportunities to work with the local school district to continue supporting our students in the Peace.”

Quick Facts:

• In total, government is investing $95 million under these programs to ensure students have the services, environment and tools they need to succeed. Every school district in B.C. will receive a portion of this funding.
• Including today’s announcement, government has invested a total of $153 million under the School Enhancement Program since it was launched in 2014. In total, almost 623 school improvement projects have been approved under the program.
• The Student Learning Grant provides one-time funding to help schools and teachers with the cost of classroom tools and equipment to support B.C.’s new curriculum. Of the $29.4-million grant, school districts are receiving a total of $27.4 million and independent schools are receiving $2 million.
• Each year, government spends about $5 million in Carbon Neutral Capital Program funding for school projects that cut greenhouse gas emissions.
• Each year, government provides about $10 million in School Bus Replacement Program funding to help school districts purchase new and replacement school buses to ensure students have access to safe and reliable transportation.

Learn More:

Student Learning Grant: http://ow.ly/ibEm309kJbQ

Carbon Neutral Capital Program: http://ow.ly/7rfi309kMdZ

School Capital Planning: http://ow.ly/slzM309kJwS

B.C.’s new curriculum: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/