December 7, 2011
No Monkeying Around: Cawston Primary Receives Playground Funding

OSOYOOS – The Cawston Primary School Parent Advisory Council is receiving $20,361 in reimbursements for playground equipment.  The funding is part of $2.4 million to reimburse PACs throughout the province that recently purchased playground equipment for their kids with funds they raised.

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:

“Playgrounds are much more than just a place to swing, slide, climb and play. For a lot of students, they are the centrepiece of their school and their favourite part of the school day.  These playgrounds will be essential additions.” 
                Boundary-Similkameen MLA John Slater

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

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