Concerns that increased education funding will lead to more portables
Posted January 18, 2017 7:43 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – The provincial government is being forced to fork out $50 million in extra funding to school boards across BC and it’s being seen as good news by most. However, some are questioning whether the increased cash flow could have negative consequences.
One concerned parent says the money used to hire more teachers, could actually force some students outside and into portables. For the rest of this year, the money will go towards positions like librarians, educational assistants or counselors.
But next year, the funding will be used to hire more classroom teachers which will help reduce class size. “That’s where the problems are going to be really created in Surrey, is that I can’t imagine how they could get around not having more portables.”
And that’s not acceptable, says education advocate Cindy Dalglish with Surrey Students Now. “We need the province to come up with the capital funding necessary in Surrey to make sure our students are not all learning in portables.”
She adds that can pose challenges to the learning environment. “Learning in portables themselves poses some challenges with climate, access to the school [and] access to bathrooms.”
The Surrey School District confirms it likely will need to add portables next year while the Vancouver School Board says it has yet to review its space requirements for the following year.
