The B.C. Ministry of Education announced its "biggest funding increase ever" this week, but Howe Sound school district treasurer Nancy Edwards said it's just enough to maintain last year's service level.
A funding increase of $1.1 million and a one-time teacher negotiated settlement payment of $1.878 million brings the Howe Sound's 2006/2007 grants to $33,946,379.
"When you think about it, yes it's significant in terms of dollars, but we have to be thinking about the context of teachers' four per cent increase in salaries, and other staff have a two per cent, and that's a significant total," said Edwards. "It's good news funding in that we feel that it's covering our costs to maintain a similar service as last year."
Howe Sound is also buoyed by its international student program, which grosses $2 million annually for the district.
"That's significant help to us," said Edwards. "If we didn't have that, we'd be struggling a little bit I think."
The provincial funding increase is part of nearly half a billion dollars granted throughout B.C. and, when considered against declining enrolment rates, represents significant per pupil funding.
The province-wide $503 per pupil is going toward operating funding and ongoing funding for negotiated agreements, states a Ministry of Education news release.
The province vows to continue helping school districts with declining enrolment by providing extra funds when the decrease is more than one per cent in a year. Howe Sound school district did not experience a one per cent decrease this year, said Edwards.
In fact, the district was pleased that enrolment figures totaled only 42 students less than last year at 4,159, rather than the anticipated 80-student decrease.
