POWELL RIVER – Students up and down the Sunshine Coast will benefit from safer schools and better learning conditions thanks to $3.5 million in provincial funding for school upgrade projects, said Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons.

“We’re making education a top priority again after the BC Liberals’ 16 years of neglect,” said Simons. “On top of adding more teachers to get back to smaller class sizes, our government is increasing maintenance funding for the first time in 14 years.”

The Sunshine Coast and Powell River school districts are receiving $3.5 million in total funding for facilities maintenance and upgrades in 2018/19:

• The Sunshine Coast School District (SD 46) is receiving $1,550,000 from the School Enhancement Program to do mechanical upgrades at Cedar Grove Elementary and Roberts Creek Elementary.
• Powell River School District (SD 47) will receive $370,000 from the School Enhancement Program for electrical and mechanical system upgrades at Brooks Secondary, and for electrical upgrades at Kelly Creek Community School.
• In addition, the Annual Facilities Grant (AFG), which is put towards routine school maintenance costs, will be $966,354 for School District 46 and $604,278 for School District 47. Put together, this is almost $70,000 more than last year.

These funding programs are part of a $198-million provincial investment under the Annual Facilities Grant, School Enhancement Program, Carbon Neutral Capital Program and Bus Replacement Program, to ensure students have well-maintained learning environments and bus services that are safe, comfortable and efficient.

The provincial government has boosted school maintenance funding by more than $20 million over last year, and has increased the AFG for the first time since 2004/05. The increase in funding will help ensure that students, teachers and school district staff can focus their energy where it matters most – in the classroom.

Link to Provincial release: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018EDUC0015-000500