Students in the Peace River North School District will benefit from over $2.6 million in provincial funding for school upgrade projects, classroom supplies and a new school bus, Education Minister Mike Bernier announced today.

The district will extend the life of Hudson's Hope Elementary Jr. Secondary and North Peace Secondary schools with $1.3 million in School Enhancement Program funding to upgrade their roofing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. 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 $299,313 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.

Baldonnel Elementary school in the district will become more energy efficient this year thanks to $930,000 for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system upgrade under provincial Carbon Neutral Capital Program. This project 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 a new 34-76 passenger bus, thanks to $129,855 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 –

“Through this suite of programs, we’re investing $95 million so that every school district can ensure students have the learning environment and tools they need to succeed. These upgrades will help school districts save money, so they can put it back into classrooms. The new classroom supplies will cut costs for families and help bring B.C.s new curriculum to life in classrooms.”

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/