There won't be any funding for new schools in the Tri-Cities - including a long-awaited Burke Mountain elementary in Coquitlam - for at least two years because the provincial money pipe has been switched off.
Districts across B.C. have been told not to request funding for two years in the five-year capital plan; last year, the annual process, under which districts identify capital spending needs, was suspended entirely.
The capital funding squeeze means School District 43 will need $226.9 million in the third year of the plan (2015/'16) for land acquisition and construction just to keep pace with demand, the board of education was told at Tuesday's meeting. As well as a lag in new school construction in rapidly growing neighbourhoods, delays are predicted for additions at crowded schools and replacement buildings for older schools.
"I submit to you all those [projects] through to '13 are needed now," said Rick Humphreys, the district's secretary treasurer. "That's a lot of money and what it represents is that this has been deferred over quite a number of years. This district has done very well in capital funding relative to other districts but it shows you how, if you extrapolate, how far districts are behind. It will take a lot of money to tackle this."
District concerns about funds drying up for capital spending come as schools try to deal with increased enrolment in growing neighbourhoods, such as Burke Mountain and Westwood Plateau in Coquitlam, Heritage Mountain in Port Moody, and parts of Port Coquitlam.
OLD SCHOOLS NEED REPLACING
As well, some older schools - including Minnekhada, Banting, Como Lake and Montgomery middle, and Moody, Irvine and Nestor elementary - need replacing, the board was told, while others, such as such as Dr. Charles Best and Port Moody secondary schools, need functional or mechanical upgrades and some relatively new schools, such as Panorama Heights, Walton and Glen in Coquitlam are bursting at the seams and need additions.
School site acquisition fees were also approved for new development - an annual requirement that adds charges to each unit - to help cover the cost of land acquisition. But trustees are concerned it won't get the schools built any faster.
The district predicts new schools will be needed on Burke Mountain, Riverwalk and Fraser Mills for about 2,550 new students, requiring $50.5 million to buy land. Approved fees will range between $600 to $1,000 per unit depending on the project density (same as last year) but unless the district can pony up some cash for the average $8 million per school land costs, the projects may not move forward soon enough.
SD43 is piloting two surplus land disposal projects, one at Parkland and one at Porter Street elementary, but has met with some opposition, particularly at Porter Street, where parents say the land is still in use.
DISTRICT TOLD TO SHELL OUT CASH
On Tuesday, Humphreys said districts have been told their projects will move up the province's funding list if they bring their own money to the table. But some trustees expressed fears that even if all the district's surplus land assets were liquidated, there still wouldn't be enough money to get new schools built.
"If we sold the land, that wouldn't resolve the issue by far," commented Keith Watkins, a Port Moody trustee.
Whether moving kids around in a boundary review is an option remains to be seen. Port Coquitlam Trustee Judy Shirra made the suggestion and asked whether re-opening closed schools is an idea worth looking at.
She was told gains from a previous boundary review have already been made but another could be looked at.
