Students and parents in the School District No. 91 (Nechako Lakes) could soon have access to improved school transportation services thanks to up to $503,247 in provincial funding made available.
School districts in B.C. have until Sept. 30 to apply for the new $14.7 million fund to assist with student bus service.
Education minister Mike Bernier announced the fund last week. It requires districts to submit a plan on how the money will be used to "boost transportation services," by adding new routes, improving disability access and bus stops or improving access to public transit.
According to Manu Madhok, assistant superintendent for School District No. 91, since this funding was only recently announced, it will take some time for the school district to fully understand the criteria for accessing the fund and to analyze local factors such as existing routes and access to drivers.
"We won’t have any specifics as to our plans until closer to late September," said Madhok.
School District 91 does not charge a fee for school bus transportation. The handful of districts that does charge families a transportation fee must eliminate those fees to be eligible to access the fund.
John Rustad, MLA for Nechako Lakes, said the province recognizes that families are looking for new transportation options for getting their kids to school.
"With this funding, our school districts can now offer expanded transportation options, resulting in a better quality of life for students and their families,” he said.
The school bus funding formula is weighted towards districts with large rural areas. Cariboo-Chilcotin is eligible for the largest amount at $739,024, followed by Prince George at $687,663 and Kamloops-Thompson at $666,817.
According to the provincial government, funding will continue on an ongoing basis in future years.
This is the third funding injection for schools in recent months. As the school year wound down in June, the province announced another $2 million fund where districts could apply to keep rural schools open that were scheduled to be closed.
- With files from Tom Fletcher