VICTORIA – Local MLAs say students in Victoria and Saanich will benefit from safer, more efficient schools thanks to over $3 million in provincial funding for school upgrade projects in the Greater Victoria and Saanich School Districts.

The Greater Victoria School District (SD 61) is receiving $2,416,333 in funding for school maintenance projects, including:

• School Enhancement Program
  • Richmond Elementary
    • Boiler, DDC & Air Handling Unit Upgrades.
    • Roof Upgrades/Replacement
  • Lansdowne Middle
    • Flooring Upgrades
  • Mount Douglas Secondary
    • Window Upgrades (Phase 2)
  • Carbon Neutral Capital Program
    • Richmond Elementary
      • Install New Energy Efficient Condensing Boilers
    • Bus Acquisition Program
      • Two New Buses

The Saanich School District (SD 63) is receiving $851,781 in funding for school maintenance projects, including:

• School Enhancement Program
  • Claremont Secondary & Royal Oak Middle
    • Dust Collector Upgrades
  • Carbon Neutral Capital Program
    • Lighting Upgrade and HVAC Controls at Various Schools.

These funding programs are part of a $206 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. This year’s overall funding is a $500,000 increase from the previous year, and a $20.6 million increase from 2016/17.

Last year, the New Democrat government provided over $7 million for school upgrades in SD 61 and 63. In addition, the Province announced a $2.4 million seismic upgrade for Campus View Elementary School, as a $7.92-million seismic upgrade and classroom addition for Keating Elementary School.

The New Democrat government has delivered historic levels of funding to B.C. schools, including the biggest operative and capital budgets in B.C. history, an extra $1-billion in classroom funding over 2016/17, $2.7-billion over three years to build, seismically upgrade and expand K-12 schools, and a new annual $5-million playground fund.

MLA quotes:

“All students deserve safe and well-maintained classrooms, yet the BC Liberals neglected facilities maintenance for over a decade. Our government is making record investments in public education that will help improve our children’s learning environments and allow teachers in our community to focus their energy on what matters most – student success,” said Rob Fleming, MLA for Victoria-Swan Lake.

“For too long, many school maintenance projects and upgrades were put on hold due to a lack of funds. I am proud that our government is making the necessary investments so that our children are able to learn, grow and thrive in safe and comfortable school environments.” said Lana Popham, MLA for Saanich South.

“We are making record investments in education and boosting funding to school districts to address the backlog of school maintenance left behind by the BC Liberals. These upgrades will help ensure that children in SD61 have access to the safe, well-maintained learning environments they deserve,” said Carole James, MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill.

Learn More: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2019EDUC0019-000324