Province returns $25M in administrative savings to B.C. school districts

“We had to make some difficult decisions on what to cut out in terms of the administrative side of things, so we’ll review that, there may be areas that we want to put back, but there’s also some things that we can hopefully do with some low enrolled programs that are pretty significant, so we may be able to put some of those back in,” says Karl deBruijn, Supertintendent of the Kamloops-Thompson School District.

Bernier says in a news release that the money can be used for any purpose, from programs or hiring new teachers to maintaining schools impacted by falling enrolment.

Teresa Rezansoff of the BC School Trustees Association thanked the Ministry of Education for responding to the funding concerns of school districts.

B.C. Teachers Federation president Jim Iker issued a release saying the return of the $25 million shows the government is feeling pressure to improve education funding a year ahead of a provincial election.

The federation says the money returned to school districts originates from the 2015 budget when the B.C. government announced a plan requiring districts to cut $29 million, and a further $25 million in 2016.

“While we are appreciative that the government is making this move, it should never have happened in the first place,” says Iker.

“It’s incumbent upon teachers, parent groups, and school trustees to keep reaching out to government MLAs to ensure they understand the depth of the crisis, and commit to taking more action,” he says.

Bernier says school districts made real efforts to reduce administrative spending, making it possible to funnel that cash back into classrooms.

“Our government is committed to ensuring that maximum education dollars go into services for students,” Bernier says.

by The Canadian Press

Province returns $25M in administrative savings to B.C. school districts

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