A letter-writer maintains the provincial government should provide more funding for playgrounds and school library operating hours.
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Letter to Editor
ShareParents step in to help their schools
Published: September 04, 2008 3:00 PMUpdated: September 04, 2008 4:01 PM
Another school year begins and for many Surrey schools, this begins another year of fundraising and reminders of how many of us are have-nots.
The provincial government espouses the importance of healthy living and physical activity and yet my kids’ school has had the intermediate playground removed and the kindergarten playground is slated for future removal.
Meanwhile, the parents are falling far short of the $60,000 in fundraising needed to replace either playground.
The provincial government did offer a lottery for $20,000 grants towards new playgrounds.
But while Minister of Education Shirley Bond’s riding of Prince George saw 11 schools winning grants and a Vancouver private school (which already has three gyms of its own) won some of this lottery money, the largest school district in B.C. (Surrey) saw only three schools “win” money in this so-called lottery.
However, as the parents of our school struggle to fundraise for new playgrounds, the students face another crisis; because of a slight decrease in local enrolment, funding for a basic tool against illiteracy – something else the provincial government claims to work for – was cut.
As funding for the school librarian has been decreased, the library is only open four days out of five.
How can the premier of this province justify the photo-ops of fighting illiteracy on Raise-A-Reader Day, when the doors of the school library are being closed to potential readers?
So please, throughout this upcoming school year, when you are asked to buy something to support your local school, please do what you can. We need your help.
Corinna Cooke
