The Chilliwack school district will have an additional $687,345 next year, thanks to an increase in funding provided by the province.
School boards across the province had lamented the amount of money allocated to school districts in the last provincial budget, saying it would means cuts in the classroom.
Through the B.C. School Trustees Association, they lobbied the education ministry to rethink its funding formula, the Chilliwack board said in a statement released Friday.
“Boards of Education working with the BC Association of School Business officials and the BC School Superintendents Association to clearly identify and detail the shortfall in education funding, met with the ministry to advise government of the seriousness of the situation,” local trustees said.
“The ministry listened, recognized the impact on student services and programs, and rectified the situation immediately which would allow boards to meet their current budget timelines.”
As a result, the operating grant funding for the 2016/17 school year for the Chilliwack School District was increased to $117,552,247 from $116,864,902 .
The board welcomed the change. “If this is an indicator of the future of co-governance in public education, our students will be the ultimate beneficiaries,” the board said.