The Chilliwack School District is getting almost $1.5 million for upgrades to a handful of schools and a new school bus this year.
The B.C. Government announced the annual facility and bus upgrade funds this week, totalling $198 million across the province. It’s a funding boost of $20 million over the previous year. Chilliwack will recieve $995,200 for HVAC upgrades at Evans Elementary and Cultus Lake Elementary, through the School Enhancement Program. A boiler upgrade at Unsworth elementary is being covered by the Carbon Neutral Capital Program for $312,000.
And, through the School Bus Replacement Program, the district will receive $168,597 for one replacement bus, for a total of $1,475,797 overall.
The items covered were approved in the district’s capital plan last June. The projects across the province are chosen for the funding because they help bring the maintenance costs of running schools down, through lowering line items like heating and cooling, and improving safety for students and staff, and decreasing greenhouse gases.
Chilliwack’s École La Vérendrye, which is part of the conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique School District, will receive window upgrades as part of that district’s $550,000 school enhancement program funding.
Nearby, Abbotsford School District is receiving $2,325,683 in funding, while Fraser-Cascade is receiving $744,638. West Vancouver is receiving the most funding, with $3,678,433 for HVAC and building envelope upgrades at Irwin Park Elementary.
The province’s largest district, Surrey, is receiving just over $3.2 million, for various projects across their region.
The BC School Trustees Association responded to the announcement of the funding, saying they’re happy to see the government invest in its aging and buildings.
“BCSTA has strongly advocated for quite some time that the government provide local boards of education and schools with the additional funds needed to appropriately address concerns surrounding building maintenance, school buses, facility upgrades, energy saving projects and other similar projects,” BCSTA President Gordon Swan said in a news release.
“We are pleased that the government has listened to the needs of school boards and has taken these first steps required to invest in the facilities students depend on daily,” Swan added. “This is a clear signal that we are prioritizing our young people and providing them with what they need to make the most of the classroom experience. As many of these funds will be provided directly to boards of education throughout the province, we can be confident that the funds will be directed to where they are needed most by those who best understand the needs of their community.”
