NEW PROCESS TO ENSURE BEST USE OF SURPLUS SCHOOLS

VICTORIA – A new process to ensure empty schools are used for maximum public good will benefit communities and residents throughout British Columbia, Education Minister Shirley Bond and Labour and Citizens’ Services Minister Olga Ilich announced today. “Boards of education have generally been very good at making sure that surplus schools and lands they dispose of are being invested back into education projects,” said Bond. “But we have to look more broadly than that and make sure these valuable assets are put to the public’s best use.”

As a result of declining enrolment, many school districts currently own buildings that are sitting empty. There are an estimated 50,000 fewer students this year than in 2000/01, and enrolment is expected to decrease over the next five years by another 25,000 students. While districts maintain schools they expect to once again be used by students, many other properties have been sold off to private interests. The new process will ensure those surplus lands will first be considered for other public uses.

“Schools make up $8 billion of taxpayer assets, so we want to make sure that those buildings are being used in the best way possible for communities and taxpayers,” said Ilich. “This new process will help determine whether a surplus school can be used by the Province or some other level of government.” The new process will be led by the Accommodation and Real Estate Services (ARES) division of the Ministry of Labour and Citizens’ Services. Properties identified as surplus by the school district will be matched against capital requirements from the provincial government, including Crown corporations or other agencies such as colleges or health authorities. Should there be no required use for the property at the provincial level, then the school district will consult with the local government where the property resides, to see if there is a community use for the property. All negotiations with the school district will be based on fair market value for the property. If the property is not identified for any of the above uses, the board of education may sell the property to other interested purchasers.