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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2001. PAGE 7.
School board gets transportation funding
The Ontario Government
announced on Friday that it was pro-
viding the Avon Maitland District
School Board with a one-time grant
of $614,866 to assist with their trans-
portation costs. This is to help cover
a transportation budget which is cur-
rently $1.5 million more than is alio-
eated by the Ministry of Education.
The board is currently covering the
funding shortfall by using $421,000
from its local priorities grant and
redirecting funds from other areas.
The funds received are from a total
of $29.3 million, which the govern-
ment announced. The grant is to help
school boards and school bus opera-
tors provide safe, efficient trans-
portation for students.
Last year the Ministry of
Education provided a one-time grant
to subsidize school transportation
costs when fuel prices rose to record
levels. The local board received
$421,396 at that time but was still
spending more on busing than the
ministry allocated.
The ministry requires that the new
grant be spent on transportation only.
However, if a board is already
spending more than allotted funds
that were directed from programs
and facilities to cover funding short-
falls, may be partially restored.
Avon Maitland board chair,
Colleen Schenk said in a press
release, "Receiving additional funds
for transportation will free up dollars
for the board to use on such ventures
as the Early Literacy Program and
other important programs that have
suffered..."
In talking about the boards strug-
gle to fund their transportation pro-
gram Schenk commented, "When
we have to spend more dollars on
transportation than we receive, it
means it has to come from some-
where. This board has sacrificed in
areas like facilities renewal for
example. Last year we sold off the
board's bus fleet and used that
money to help pay down a $1.2 mil-
lion deficit."
Janet Baird-Jackson, the superin-
tendent of business, expressed her
pleasure that the government recog-
nized the challenges facing rural
boards in a time of declining enroll-
ment.
She went on to say, "Even though
we have fewer students the buses
must continue to drive the same
roads and distances. I am hopeful
such inequities will be addressed in a
permanent fashion when the new
transportation funding model is
unveiled."
The Avon Maitland District School
Board currently operates 54 schools
in an area covering approximately
6,000 square kilometres.
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beyond The Garden Path
has something for everyone
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