Two school districts in Boundary-Similkameen will receive funding to support special needs students and struggling readers. School District 51 is getting $199,288 through the Learning Improvement Fund and $27,478 through the BC Education Plan Fund. School District 53 will receive $298,052 from the Learning Improvement Fund and $47,485 from the BC Education Plan.

Why this matters:

The Learning Improvement Fund (LIF) is being targeted to support students with special needs by hiring additional teachers and teaching assistants, providing additional teaching time, and funding professional development and training to help teachers address the complex needs in their classrooms.

The BC Education Plan Fund is being targeted to programs to support struggling readers so that students receive the interventions and support they need to develop strong reading skills, which is the critical foundation to success in school.

Quote:

“School Districts 51 and 53 are receiving funding that will help them continue to provide quality education. The situation with the BCTF is far from ideal, but hopefully by putting strike money back into the system, we can get more help for special needs students and those needing more help with foundational skills.”

Boundary-Similkameen MLA John Slater

The B.C. government is doubling the LIF from $30 million to $60 million for the coming school year. The increase is due to provincewide operational savings of $37 million resulting from last month’s three-day teachers’ strike.

 All of the strike savings will remain with school districts with $30 million being applied to LIF, and the remaining $7 million to be used by school boards for educational priorities in their respective districts.