School District No.46 (SD46) is receiving $1,225,000 in funding for mechanical upgrades for Halfmoon Bay Elementary and Kinnikinnick Elementary, including solar panel installation.
“Students, staff, and the school communities will all benefit from these upgrades,” said Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons in a release. “With this funding, we are investing in better and more environmentally-friendly learning spaces.”
The funding is part of a $217.7-million investment under the Annual Facilities Grant (AFG), School Enhancement Program, Carbon Neutral Capital Program, Building Envelope Program and Bus Acquisition Program, “to ensure students have well-maintained learning environments and bus services that are safe, comfortable and efficient,” according to the release. This year’s funding is $32.3-million higher than it was four years ago.
The province has added $2.2 billion in operating funding and created a $2.8 billion school capital budget to build, seismically upgrade and expand K-12 schools, compared to 2016-17 funding levels. An annual playground fund has also been introduced, delivering an additional $5 million a year to districts across the province.
