BC Regs on School Properties Vexing

(Aired on August 25, 2010)

A report released today says BC's public school districts could have more money at their disposal, but accounting practices and government rules are preventing it.  According to the Auditor General, school districts collectively have about $1-billion they can't reasonably access - much of it tied up in low-interest bank accounts.  If they did use the money, they would have to show it on the books as an expense.  That wouldn't be a problem, but the provincial government has mandated that all school districts must run a balanced budget.  Thus, if you have a new expense, you have to show the revenue to offset it.  With government funding cuts and a flawed funding formula, that revenue is not forthcoming.

Even more vexing to me are government rules restricting what school districts can do with surplus property.  For example, District 73 has four new surplus school properties within Kamloops this year; those being John Tod, Ralph Bell, George Hilliard, and the former Beattie Pineridge campus.  The district is obligated to maintain those properties and keep them from falling into disrepair.

It would make far more sense to sell those schools and schoolyards, with the government investing the revenue right back into education.  But the province has extremely tight rules that make it almost impossible for a district to do that.  If you ask the education minister about those rules, she says that it's prudent policy.  A selloff of property now - when student numbers are in decline - would hamstring districts in the future, when student numbers are bound to rise again.

It seems to make sense, but the question is, what is happening to students in the meantime?  With the way school districts are being eviscerated of funds now, what will the public school system look like in 10 or 20 years' time?  It would be better policy to fix what is badly broken now, and let tomorrow think about tomorrow.