VICTORIA - The Province is immediately providing each of B.C.'s 60 school districts with an additional $15 per student, for a total of $8.1 million.
This funding is part of the holdback the Ministry of Education retains for potential enrolment increases throughout the year. Typically, provincewide enrolment is higher than what districts have predicted and this contingency is necessary to cover funding for the additional students. Because district estimates were relatively accurate this year, the Province is in a position to share the remaining holdback funds among all school districts.
"A combination of prudent fiscal planning by government and accurate enrolment predictions by school districts means more money is available for every district. In December, districts received an additional $88 per student, and we are now able to add a further $15 to support each full-time equivalent student enrolled in the B.C. public school system,” said Minister of Education George Abbott.