There may be some changes and additional fees for families next school year.
On May 21, the Town of Princeton, including trustees, the board chair and the superintendent, met with Boundary-Similkameen MLA Donegal Wilson to discuss transportation in the region with parents from Princeton Secondary School and Vermillion Forks Elementary School. Princeton's application for a public transportation system and Nicola-Similkameen School District's (SD58) transportation system were both discussed at length.
The biggest questions that arose from the discussions revolved around funding for transportation from the Ministry of Education and Child Care and the potential for cost recovery for additional routes. Current walk limits for students were also discussed.
For the 2024-25 school year, SD58 used $179,761 in funding for transportation from the ministry. School boards decide how to allocate the overall funding, as transportation is not a requirement of the School Act and is not defined as a core service by the ministry. A significant amount of the funding has already been allocated to busing.
The cost of the daily transportation routes alone is almost $800,000, meaning a shortfall of almost $620,000 from the funds SD58 received for busing. To make up for some of the cost, the district was asked to review Okanagan Skaha (SD67)'s transportation review which implements a new walk limit and fee structure for students using school buses.
The new walk limits for SD67 are now more than 2.5 kilometres for Kindergarten to Grade 7 students and more than 3.2 kilometres for Grade 8 to 12 students. Those outside of the limits pay a $25 registration fee and a $75 transportation fee. Courtesy riders, those who live within the walk limits or attend out-of-catchment schools, pay the registration fee plus a $225 transportation fee.
For parents with multiple children, only the first two riders in each family will be charged both fees. Each additional child will not have to pay the transportation fee and will only be charged the registration fee. The fee structure will be in effect starting next school year and is expected to bring in about $150,000.
"The board has no intention of charging our rural students," SD58 chair Gordon Swan said during the SD58 open meeting of the board on June 11.
The board agreed with Swan, and SD58 superintendent Courtney Lawrance also expressed her concerns about implementing a similar fee structure.
"I have deep reservations about implementing fees, even that $25 reservation fee, because that could be a barrier for kids to come to school," Lawrance said.
Lawrance added that even though there would be a relief system in place to help parents facing financial hardships, those conversations are not always easy.
"For sure, we have people who could pay these fees and probably would, but I think we have a lot of people that view it as another barrier to coming to school every day," Lawrance said. "I think our board has done the right thing by continuing bussing for rural because that's where we live."
Swan and SD58 agreed on no subsidized rates for fees at this time as well, and board members expressed their support with Princeton and BC Transit in the town's interest in implementing public transportation.
SD58 will continue to discuss bussing with other districts on how to make it seen as a core service.
