Quesnel, B.C. – Transportation services are about to receive a sizeable financial boost in the Quesnel School District.

This after B.C.’s Ministry of Education announced Wednesday the District will receive $274,209 in funding under the new Student Transportation Fund.

Photo courtesy BC Government

According to the ministry the money will be used in Quesnel to:

• Provide supervision at transportation hubs where students change buses;
• Create route additions to decrease students having to switch buses;
• Add interior video cameras on five school buses;
• Extend the transportation manager’s from part-time to full-time;
• Retrofit the mini school bus for special needs students;
• Purchase a replacement hoist for the garage;
• Reduce transportation budget cost pressures.

Under the Student Transportation Fund, school districts had the opportunity to apply for the money from August 10 to September 30, this year.

To be eligible for funding, districts had to submit a plan to the ministry outlining how they will use the funding to enhance transportation services for students and families.

It’s the fourth one-time announcement the government has made recently. The others were:

• $25 million of administrative savings returned to school districts to invest in students
• $2 million Rural Enhancement Fund to help keep schools open (including two in the Quesnel School District: Parkland and Kersley elementary schools)
• $28 million to ensure enrolment increases and labour settlements are covered; and;
• $6 million to train teachers on coding and new curriculum and to buy computers

Quesnel School Board Chair Tony Goulet says he appreciates the money but notes it doesn’t come without its challenges.

“It’s funny, I just came from the Select Standing Committee on Finance and pushed that we need stable and predictable and reliable funding. These one-time announcements that are coming are just causing havoc within our district and us trying to balance our budget and trying to run a district.”

The Prince George School District has applied for $687,663 under the Student Transportation Fund but has yet to hear back from the Ministry of Education.

Despite the wait, Allan Reed, the district’s secretary-treasurer, told 250News this week he fully anticipates the district will receive the money.