SD43 school repair and maintenance grant cut
The Tri-City News
By Diane Strandberg
August 28, 2009

Painting, roofing and other maintenance work in School District 43 will likely be postponed this year in the wake of news that the annual facility grant has been cut.

It's too early to say what the impact of losing the provincial grant will be but several projects will likely be curtailed since the district was expecting to get $5.3 million this year, the same amount in annual facility grants (AFG) it received in 2008/’09.

"It is used to fund repairs and improvements to schools, and [the cut] will have a significant impact on school facilities for the coming year," said SD43 spokesperson Cheryl Quinton…..

"It depends on whether they have a surplus in that account," MacDiarmid said, noting the decision to cut $110 million in AFG funding for the province was difficult.

But Coquitlam Maillardville NDP MLA Diane Thorne said schools across the province will feel the hit.

“Many smaller districts performed essential maintenance over the summer in anticipation of receiving their annual grant,” said Thorne, the NDP's education critic. “They've spent the money already — it's a retroactive cut. It may not be in Coquitlam, but it is in other districts across the province.”

She's also worried that SD43 will be one of 43 boards that won't receive holdback money paid for enrolment changes. "That's a cut worth about $4 million [for the province]."

The news of education funding cuts raises questions about the timing of introducing all-day kindergarten and whether the government can afford it next year.

"That could cost $600 million," Thorne said. "Where's it going to come from."