Students Pay For B.C. Liberals’ Broken Promises As School Funding Slashed By $110 Million
VICTORIA— The B.C. Liberal government’s elimination of facilities grants is a $110 million dollar cut to education that flies in the face of their election promises, says New Democrat deputy education critic Diane Thorne .
“This cut will slice deep into the heart of schools across the province,” said Thorne.
Diane Thorne “The B.C. Liberals promised to protect education. It turns out their promise was just another pre-election lie.”
School districts were told late yesterday that their facilities grants, which are usually released in early summer, were being cancelled. Thorne noted that for many districts this will be a retroactive cut.
“Many smaller districts performed essential maintenance over the summer in anticipation of receiving their annual grant,” said Thorne. “Now students will have to pay the price for the B.C. Liberal government’s budget deception.”
Facilities grants are awarded to school districts annually to cover the costs of upgrading and maintaining school buildings. Fixing heating and cooling systems, roofing, energy efficiency upgrades and other essential maintenance is usually done over the summer months.
Thorne said that the B.C. Liberals’ broken promise to protect education will be another blow to schools right across the province. School districts that expressed concerns about facilities funding were given no indication that it was going to be eliminated.
“One in four classrooms in this province already violate the Campbell government’s own class size and composition law. This multi-million dollar blow is an another attack on education, and a dire example of the price British Columbians are paying for Gordon Campbell’s pre-election budget deception.”
Carole James and the New Democrats have been holding the B.C. Liberals accountable for backtracking on their election promises to protect health care, education and other vital services, and for breaking their word on the HST.
