Monday December 11, 2023 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Funding for BC school libraries is acquired out of the operating budgets of each school district. That includes the books and the staffing to manage the libraries. There are 60 school districts in BC.
Here on south Vancouver Island there are three school districts: SD61 (Greater Victoria), SD62 (Sooke / west shore), and SD62 (Saanich). The Cowichan Valley School District is SD79, and Nanaimo is SD68. The Gulf Islands are SD64.
Throughout the school year there are also fundraisers to help pay for the cost of books in libraries and classrooms.
Parents paying for books:
Parents are frequently invited to participate in book fairs like Scholastic Canada and other fundraisers within or outside the schools that might be launched by parent advisory committees (PACs) or librarians themselves.
Especially at this holiday season time of year, the push for books as gifts is prevalent.
Fundraisers at the school level:
“Decisions about things like book fairs and which companies to partner with are made at the local level by schools and districts. There are no provincial guidelines governing how book fairs are operated,” said the Ministry of Education and Child Care in a statement to Island Social Trends last month.
“Participating in these types of book fairs can often allow for opportunities to fundraise and bring more books into the school for all students, however, book fairs are optional and there is no requirement that students or parents participate.”
Incredibly important:
“School libraries are an incredibly important resource that enhance and expand learning in schools, while serving diverse communities of students”, said a ministry spokesperson in their November 30 statement.
Not all libraries are created equal. Across BC schools they will vary in room size, collections size, and staffing complement. A raw calculation of total 2022/23 library services expenditures (teacher/librarian staff, books and services) across 60 schools yields about $1,730,495 per school library for one year — obviously the larger schools will likely have higher library costs.
From the mid-1990s into the early 2000s in BC many school libraries were significantly diminished in staffing capacity and related funding, to the point that many school libraries were closed. In 2017, a change of government with new directions saw that turn around.
Choosing books:
According to the Ministry, the school districts throughout BC decide what to spend on libraries, calling libraries “an incredibly important resource”.
It’s one more thing that voters should remember when choosing board of education trustees in their local school districts.
In accordance with the School Act, the Ministry of Education and Child Care sets education standards and provides funding, while boards of education are responsible for budgetary spending decisions regarding the operation and maintenance of schools within their district. This includes decisions about the funding of school libraries.
Expanding the book collections:
The Ministry of Education and Child Care says that “educators regularly look to expand their collection of resources to provide a deeper selection for their students to use”.
“There is also often a need to replace older resources over time that have been worn out, damaged or may contain outdated information,” it was stated.
Library funding from operating grants:
School districts in BC receive funding based on student head count (referred to as FTE’s, i.e. full-time equivalents); there are also some additional funding categories such as special needs, English as a second language, basic adult education, and summer learning.
The basic per-student allocation for standard, alternate and continuing education schools increased by 9.4% for the 2023/24 academic year.
- Funding for Libraries comes out of the Operating Grants. Operating Grants by year for each school district are posted publicly here.
- Last year, (2022/23) Library Services made up approximately 1.6% (over $100 million) of the Actual Operating Expenditures* (*all 60 school districts) / about 12% of that was for services and supplies, and the rest was for salaries and employee benefits.
Public libraries:
The Education and Child Care Ministry also made a point of mentioning public libraries.
- At the same time, B.C.’s public libraries are a critical part of vibrant and liveable communities, offering free public services people rely on, connecting people to government services, and supporting lifelong learning and skills development.
- Earlier this year, the Province provided $45 million in funding for Public libraries to modernize technology, enhance programs and services, and provide better access to information.
===== RELATED:
- BC Legislature Xmas season decor & choirs / photos of Legislative Library (November 28, 2023)
- Retail book fundraiser for SD62 French-language school library (November 27, 2023)
- Sooke school district faces steady student population growth (November 7, 2023)
- Teacher-librarian prep time squeeze has broader impacts (March 30, 2023)
- Public libraries get boost from 2022-23 surplus (March 24, 2023)
- SD62 teachers & parents about overload: COVID, catchment changes, bussing (October 27, 2020)
===== NEWS SECTIONS:
EDUCATION | SD62 SCHOOL DISTRICT
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends follows the news of south Vancouver Island and BC through a political and socioeconomic lens, with an eye to national politics impacts on life here on Vancouver Island. News is posted daily at IslandSocialTrends.ca . | ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS
Editor Mary P Brooke has been providing news coverage leadership in the west shore and region since 2008, as the founding publisher and editor of MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), West Shore Voice News (2014-2020), and Island Social Trends (since mid-2020).
Mary P Brooke ran for school trustee in SD62 in 2022 and continues to cover education issues at both local and provincial levels.
Education-related op-eds are welcome for consideration in IslandSocialTrends.ca .