Trustees Address Funding Challenges
Prince George, B.C. – Lobby hard or get more creative with the funding provided?
250 News posed that question to two school trustees following this weekend’s elections.
Third term trustee and top vote getter Trish Bella says it’s time to get past the get more creative and innovative approach.
“We have cut severely. We’ve done our due diligence. We’ve had school closures and we continue to have to cut and that is wrong. We have to get real with the dollars and turn around and say we need more money.”
She says that includes providing a stronger voice for rural educators.
“Rural educators have had to be innovative a long time. We have to be allowed in the rural environment to provide the same quality public education that a bigger centre has.”
Rookie trustee Tony Cable however isn’t opposed to the creative approach.
“Because the government has so many people lobbying them for more funds. We’re definitely not the only group that wants more funding. You definitely have to find creative ways to use the resources.”
And he says the money they do get needs to be funnelled to the schools “because that’s where the money is needed most.”
Bella agrees adding that the notion that districts sit on a surplus to balance future budgets needs to stop.
“We need to put the supports in for the kids now because their future is now – not in a future budget.”
Comments
I hoped that McDonald would have gotten in to add a voice to the rural schools. I think its obvious that per student funding doesn’t work for the rural regions of the province, as it does in the urban centers.
I think we should have politicians of all stripes advocating loudly in support of equal opportunity to education for all children in this province, whether rural or urban.
The funding model is clearly broken and this results in communities loosing their schools and busing their children long distances on bad winter roads. The funding needs to be restored to our rural schools.
Prince George could take a lesson from Kamloops School District. 5 School Trustees representing the city and 4 representing the rural.
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