Message from Education Minister Mike Bernier

Building up B.C.’s schools

We have had a banner year for British Columbia’s students and education system. On top of a record $5.1 billion in funding in 2016, we’re proud to have introduced a number of new measures that cut costs for families, support student learning, and help teachers bring B.C.’s new curriculum to life.

Most recently we announced a $29.4-million Student Learning Grant, which schools can use to purchase classroom equipment and supplies like textbooks, lab equipment, and art supplies. We also introduced the $14.7-million Student Transportation Fund, which has made bus services more accessible and affordable for families across the province. And we kept seven rural schools open with our $1.8-million Rural Education Enhancement Fund to support students, families, and communities.

We made great progress creating new student spaces - work is underway to build more than 4,800 new student seats in Langley, Surrey, and Coquitlam through the construction of new schools and classroom additions. We built on that with $217 million for the Surrey School District to build up to 5,200 new student spaces, which will help tackle their rapidly growing enrolment.

We made strong headway on the seismic front too. To date, 163 projects have been completed under B.C.’s award-winning and globally recognized Seismic Mitigation Program, for a total of $1.3 billion. In Vancouver alone, there are nine seismic projects worth more than $200 million currently underway, or recently completed.

We were able to make all these investments because B.C.’s economy is booming. People from all over the world are coming here to live – many of our communities are growing, and we’re seeing more young families in our province. With these changes brings the need for us to invest even more in our education system – funding more teachers and building more classroom space to support our growth.

On April 1, B.C.’s education budget will increase to $5.9 billion. That’s a record yearover-year increase of $314 million – or a lift of 5.6 per cent. This historic increase means that every new student coming to school in B.C. will be fully funded at almost $9,000 a year.

In addition to this funding increase, Budget 2017 supports $2 billion in capital spending over the next three years to replace, renovate, expand or seismically upgrade B.C. schools. This is great news for students, parents, teachers, and communities right across our province. With this funding, we will be able to support our growing communities by building space for more students, supporting student learning and achievement, and ensuring more schools are seismically safe for students, teachers, and staff.

Part of this funding will be used to continue to help school districts improve their facilities through a number of programs. We will continue the School Enhancement Program, allowing districts to apply for funding to extend the life of their schools through a multitude of projects, from roof replacements to window and mechanical upgrades.

The Carbon Neutral Capital Program will also continue to help schools reduce their carbon footprint and save money by investing in energy-efficient upgrades. Each year $5 million is made available under this program to districts.

The School Bus Replacement Program helps districts with the cost of replacing and buying new school buses, ensuring safe and reliable transportation for B.C. students. Last year, we invested almost $10 million under the program to help districts buy new and replacement school buses.

I urge all Educational Facilities Managers’ Association of B.C. members to encourage their districts to take advantage of these programs by submitting applications.

With the Province making record investments like these to build up B.C.’s school infrastructure, EFMA B.C. members will continue to play a big role in our success – bringing projects forward and seeing them through to completion. I want to thank all of EFMA B.C.’s members for your leadership and expertise in protecting and maintaining our school buildings.

Together, we are ensuring students have the environment and tools they need to succeed and building a stronger B.C. n