December 7, 2011
No Monkeying Around: More Funding for School Playgrounds

BURNABY – Parent Advisory Councils (PACs) at 14 public schools in Burnaby are receiving a total of $238,360 in reimbursements for playground equipment. The funding is part of nearly $2.4 million to reimburse PACs throughout the province that recently purchased playground equipment for their kids with funds they raised.

The following schools in School District 41 (Burnaby) will receive a playground reimbursement for their PACs:

• Brentwood Park Elementary ($32,100)
• University Highlands Elementary ($32,000)
• Confederation Park Elementary ($30,000)
• Lakeview Elementary ($26,000)
• Second Street Community School ($25,904)
• Brantford Elementary ($18,143)
• Armstrong Elementary ($16,997)
• Windsor Elementary ($13,479)
• Buckingham Elementary ($12,800)
• Chaffey-Burke Elementary ($11,000)
• Cameron Elementary ($8,300)
• Gilmore Community Elementary ($4,447)
• Westridge Elementary ($3,834)
• Rosser Elementary ($3,356)

Why this matters:

• This reimbursement recognizes PACs for their hard work and commitment to students.
• This money is part of the $8-million over two years that Premier Christy Clark announced in September for new playgrounds, reimbursements, and playground upgrades, repairs and replacements.
• School districts were asked to identify schools that had purchased adventure-style playground equipment using PAC-raised funds since January 1, 2011, which was eligible for reimbursement under this program.

Quotes:

Harry Bloy, MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed:
“Children discover the world through play and I am very pleased that we can provide a fun, healthy playground experience for students throughout Burnaby.”

Richard T. Lee, MLA for Burnaby North:
“Our schools benefit from the dedication and commitment of the many men and women who serve on Parent Advisory Councils at their children’s schools. I am very happy we can honour their dedication by reimbursing the money they raised for playgrounds.”

Quick Facts:

• Based on school district input there are 102 public elementary and middle schools that are eligible to receive a reimbursement towards PAC playground contributions. This spans across 31 school districts.
• Each PAC was eligible to receive up to a maximum of $50,000 depending on how much they contributed to the project.
• School districts will be reimbursed directly by the Ministry of Education, and will be responsible for ensuring their PACs are reimbursed appropriately.
• The first round of funding supported 40 new playgrounds for elementary and middle schools that were identified as not having a playground but wanting one, for a total of $2 million.
• The final phase of the playground program will see approximately $3.6 million being distributed for high-priority playground upgrades, repairs and replacements.

Learn More:

• For more information on Education in B.C. visit http://www.gov.bc.ca/bced/
• PACs having concerns about the dollar amounts shown above, or the eligibility of schools not listed, should contact their school district directly. Contact information can be found here: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/apps/imcl/imclWeb/SchoolBoardSelector.do

Visit Harry’s website at www.harrybloymla.bc.ca
Visit Richard’s website at www.richardleemla.bc.ca

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