Earlier this year, School District No. 46 (SD46) anticipated that with higher-than-expected enrolment, more government funding was likely. This week, SD46 secretary-treasurer Nicholas Weswick confirmed the funding boost to the tune of approximately $1.5 million.
“We are very pleased that the Ministry has provided School District No. 46 with funding to support our significant increases in student enrolment,” said Weswick in an email.
The ministry calculates funding for all districts in the province on an annual basis, for the current year’s budget. Staff were expecting student enrolment to increase by 20 but it jumped to about 97 for a total of 3,256 full-time students enrolled for the 2018-19 school year. Gibsons and West Sechelt elementary schools had the highest increase.
The increased enrolment has led to $582,000 in enrolment-based funding and $998,000 to support “unique student needs, such as Aboriginal education programs, English language learning and inclusive education,” said Weswick.
The district also receives more funding than average to cover the salaries of its teachers because they are more highly qualified than the provincial baseline. Weswick also said the classroom enhancement funding, related to the Supreme Court ruling on teacher contracts, was “confirmed at approximately the same level as last year.”
