Victoria Redirecting Administrative Savings Back to School Districts
Prince George, B.C. – Victoria announced this morning it will redirect $25 million in administrative savings back to school districts in the province.
For the Prince George School District that works out to $622,655 – money Education Minister Mike Bernier says will “help it deal with local cost pressures and provide front line service for students.”
He says the District is free to use the money as it wishes – be it for “ongoing classroom programs, hiring teachers, or for busing.”
“School District 57 has worked very hard to ensure that students receive the very best educational opportunities possible. In our regular meetings with the Board they made it clear that they were facing budget challenges,” says Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond. “I know that the ability to use these funds to support classrooms will be welcome news.”
Prince George School Board Chair Tony Cable figures the redirected funds have everything to do with next year’s provincial election.
“We have been struggling for the last number of years to balance budgets, the government has not covered MSP Premiums, BC Hydro rates, pay increases, they’ve made us give back money for what they call ‘administrative savings’ and then all of a sudden, a few months before the election campaign begins, they’re going to give back our money.
“It’s not new money, they’re not providing any additional funding – they’re giving back to us our money that we gave them.”
Bernier’s announcement is timely considering the Board was expected to give its annual budget bylaw third and final reading tonight at its public meeting.
What will this mean considering the Board had decided to dip into its surplus to the tune of just over $1 million to balance the books this year?
“We’ll have to crunch the numbers, but it will definitely have some impacts for sure. That’s something we’ll have to decide this evening although we were going to use the shortfalls out of surplus, so it may be simpler for us to return our money back to surplus.”
Comments
Christy Clark is a college drop-out with a real dislike of education. She’s been targeting BC’s public education since 2001. Her decision as Minister of Education not to fund negotiated pay increases agreed to by the government was found unconstitutional, Bills 27 & 28 forcing teachers back to work and banning collective bargaining were found unconstitutional. So her and the Liberals go back to the tactic of under-funding. In 2016–17 school districts will enter the fifth year in a row with no additional operating funds to cover the rising costs like MSP, Carbon Tax and Hydro. As of May 19, 2016, 31 districts in BC, combined, were underfunded by $85.28 million. Now just in time for an election they give some back. Can’t wait for that taxpayer funded, Liberal party advertisement to show up on the news hour.
What a misinformed a-hole. Typical for Pravda250.
Actually she likes private education, for her kid.
Could be she prefers a system where the people standing at the front of the class are held accountable.
Playing political games using our children as pawns is well beyond disgusting . I have trouble even looking at Clark and bond . Pravda250 ? Really VOR ? Mr. Fry is very well informed . Sad that we still don’t have a cure for paranoia . Maybe one day . Good education is all we have to combat it for now . Maybe that is why Christy hates it .
“Playing political games using our children as pawns is well beyond disgusting” ……thankfully Peter and Christy signed a long term contract with the tf so it will be what 5 or 6 more years before they can say unlimited massages or 2 weeks off if their dog dies somehow helps the kids.
Don’t you just love it when the government of the day gives you your own money and expects a thank you ?
Do they deserve a thank you? In a word yes!
Cutting bloat and waste in administration means this money can be used in places where it helps students. Don’t forget the Bitch Cry Temper Fit(aka BCTF) says it’s all about the kids.
It is far easier to rubber stamp an admin budget every year rather than sharpen the pencil, roll up the sleeves and justify where the money is being spent. City hall could use multiple lessons in this regard if ever increasing tax bills are any indication.
Bang on Sparrow. The taxandspendniks that infest the O250 comment boards will never, ever understand why you’re right, but that doesn’t make your view less correct.
Cutting administrative waste and plowing the savings back into the system is exactly the right thing to do – that’s what any properly managed company would do. Instead, the deep minds that begrudge the government doing the right thing think that there’s a bottomless cookie jar to fund the underperforming slackers in the education system.
Keep on cutting out the dead wood from all ministries Premier Clark – that approach is supported by far more people than the ‘but I want free money from the government’ bottom feeders that regularly post to this site would suggest.
Election on the horizon?
Giving back money they never should have taken to start with thus
they make it sound like the government is being so nice and considerate and actually giving out a gift..
I say election….
Screw the election, education costs are out of control and have been for the past 40 years. Administration has over taken the cost of education. We now pay for everything plus, plus. Its just nuts,we pay and pay and get no break although industries rake in millions in subsidies and tax credits. Our education system is screwed and needs a complete overhaul if we are going to keep feeding it. Just a little add on if your a teacher and had dreams of making 150 grand a year your in the wrong profession so get a second job or change.
Now why would anniemartin have a score of 15? Because it is the most accurate post.
‘Now why would anniemartin have a score of 15? Because it is the most accurate post.’
No, it’s called preaching to choir. If you’re advocating free donuts to a bunch of weight-watcher drop-outs you’ll get plenty of chubby thumbs up.
It doesn’t bother me much – in less than 12 months you guys can all throw your votes down the toilet by voting for the Party of No.
Not all education handouts come with a photo op announcement though. Recently Christy spent over $8,000 of taxpayer funds to fly to Haida Gwaii to give a federally funded school $150,000 personally authorized by the her, that ended up indirectly benefiting her brother.
A “donation” that appears to have no paper trail, policy or even a record that the request for the donation was ever made. The purpose of the “donation”? To complete a feasibility study on building a new gym for their school regardless of the fact that two of these studies done on the same school in the past 10 years paid for by federal funds.
Meanwhile towns are being forced to close their only high school, school boards are being forced into making devastating cuts to bus services, EA’s, student supports, libraries and janitorial time etc.
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