Riding the school bus in the Central Okanagan may soon come with a hefty fee.
Parents in School District 23 already pay $450 per child for bus rides, and if approved by the school board, that fee could rise between $75 and $150.
While this may be the most significant hike, transportation fees have more than doubled since 2019 when it was 200-a-year per child.
“When we look at inflationary increases, the cost of gas going up, that cost of transportation is going up, so it leaves the school board with this really difficult decision,” said SD 23 Parent Advisory Council president, Nicola Baker.
A report from the school board says the province provides $600,000 in transportation funding, forcing the district to pull from its operating funds to subsidize the transportation budget each year.
“Other districts who face bussing challenges geographically are in the same situation where they’re having to make tough choices of where they’re going to take the money from for school bus funding,” said Barker.
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In a statement Delta Carmichael, the Secretary-Treasurer/CFO of Central Okanagan Public Schools said, “Even with this increase, the Transportation Department will continue to be supplemented by an estimated $4 million of District Operating Funds that could otherwise go directly to classrooms.”
The district also confirmed to Global News that of the three recommendations, it will consider the lowest recommended fee increase to $525/rider to offset a portion of rising transportation costs.
The fee will be put to a vote on Wednesday.
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