Province leaves school district millions short

Already tight purse strings in the Kamloops-Thompson School District feel even tighter with the province owing millions in facilities money with no payment pending.

“It’s well overdue, which is extremely scary for us,” school board vice chair Diane Dosch said Tuesday.

The school district spends the annual facilities grant on lighting, air conditioning and other building upgrades during the summer, when schools are empty.

Contracts are awarded each spring with several payments from the province made through the following school year.

In July, secretary treasurer Kelvin Stretch said $2 million of the $2.7-million grant had not arrived, but the province advised the district to proceed with caution on the upgrades.

The money was still due Tuesday with no explanation from the province.

What worries trustees is the money is already committed. If a cheque doesn’t come, the school district still has to pay the contractors.

School districts are required by the School Act to balance budgets every year. If the province doesn’t pay the district or only covers part of the expenses, programs could be cut to pay the bill, said Dosch.

“If we don’t get it from the government, it will have to come from somewhere,” she said.

Kamloops-Thompson is already considering charging a fee for students who ride school buses to pay for rising transportation costs.

Trustees will spend the fall contemplating the closure of 11 elementary schools and turning most high schools into junior secondary schools as a way to save money and programs.

“It’s looking very grim. The government has put schools in situations where they are not sustainable,” said Dosch.

Trustee Annette Glover criticized the province for not keeping school districts updated on the grant status.

“They’ve got to communicate with SD73 staff,” she said.

The situation is not unique to Kamloops-Thompson. Larry Paul, the secretary treasurer for the Central Okanagan School District, said he was told all government transactions are on.

“There’s a whole bunch of ministries who aren’t getting their money,” he said.

Central Okanagan has some cash in the bank to pay for upgrades, but will run out if the grant doesn’t appear by the end of September, said Paul.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Education said all grants are being reviewed ahead of the Sept. 1 budget.

That is unacceptable to Kamloops-Thompson Teachers’ Association president David Komljenovic. He said withholding the money only creates more instability in public education.

“Here’s another example of instability in the system that will lead to more cuts,” he said.

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