Janet Steffenhagen, Vancouver Sun
Province-wide complaints about inadequate education funding appear to have hit the mark, with the B.C. government promising extra dollars to cover negotiated increases in teachers' salaries and benefits and restoration of a maintenance grant that was abruptly terminated in August. The additional funding isn't as much as school trustees and unions were requesting -- and won't quell talk of service cuts -- but it's more than many expected. Districts will have an extra $50 million a year for three years, which the government says will cover the two per cent salary hike plus improved benefits, and the immediate return of the annual facilities grant, worth $110 province-wide between now and March 2011.
In addition, the budget provides an extra $22 million for full-day kindergarten in 2012-13 to bring total annual spending on the new program to $129 million. An earlier budget set aside $44 million to cover partial implementation this fall and $107 million for 2011-12 when full-day kindergarten will be available for all five-year-olds.Budget documents also mention the rebate for school districts on the harmonized sales tax (HST), expected to be worth $32 million a year.Prior to the budget announcement, districts were predicting a combined 2011-12 shortfall of almost $300 million, due to rising costs and new expenses.
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