Ministry of Education
Office of the Minister
Mailing Address: PO Box 9045 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC Canada V8W 9E2
Location: Parliament Buildings, Victoria

July 30, 2002
Our Ref: 75198/76647

Louise Scott, Chair
Board of School Trustees
School District No. 28 (Quesnel)
401 North Star Rd
Quesnel, BC V2J 5K2

Dear Ms. Scott.

I am writing in response to your recent letters, submitting the motions of your School Board regarding the budgetary challenges faced by the Quesnel School District, including the closure of Wells-Barkerville Elementary School.

I know that school boards across the province are facing financial constraints; however, I believe government has been open about the challenges we face as we work to restore sound fiscal management and revitalize the economy. Government's commitment to education is to create a high quality education system that is accountable, focuses on improving student achievement and provides choices for parents and students. Despite fiscal pressure on government, education funding has been protected at $4.8 billion for the 2002/03 school year and that amount will be stable for the next three years. It is my hope that the flexibility provided through the new funding formula and a stable, predictable three-year budget will help boards manage cost pressures.

With reference to the closure of the school in Wells and your request for funding assistance to keep the school open for another year, I recognize that it is a difficult decision for your School Board. However, the new funding formula and legislation give school boards both the flexibility and autonomy to manage funding to suit the priorities of their school districts. The grant for declining enrolment has been improved and the supplement for "Unique Geographic Factors," was introduced to recognize that some school districts, and schools within rural and remote areas, do not benefit from the economies of scale that can be achieved where schools are clustered more closely together. As one of the intentions behind the provision of this supplemental grant was to help school districts manage small schools, I regret there is no further funding available to operate the school in Wells for another year. [coloured emphasis added]

Thank you for bringing the concerns of your Board to my attention.

Sincerely,
Christy Clark
Minister
Deputy Premier