The Kamloops-Thompson School District says it’ll need around $183 million over the next five years if it is to keep up with its infrastructure goals.

SD73 Secretary-Treasurer Trina Cassidy says that figure is based on audits done by the Ministry of Education that are used to determine what resources are needed to maintain or replace aging infrastructure.

“The District is behind on its infrastructure upgrading and replacement schedule by $28 million,” Cassidy said. “Going forward into 2025 to 2029, the report indicates that approximately $155 million is required for those years to maintain the suggested upgrading and replacement schedules.”

“The district does receive however $4.4 million annually within the Annual Facilities Grant and another $1.5 million, for a total of approximately $6 million for such projects such as HVAC upgrades and replacements but this funding is not adequate to meet the required facility upgrades.”

Cassidy’s report at the June 10 meeting came about a month after an inquiry from Trustee Kathleen Karpuk who wondered “how far behind the District is with respect to its facility’s repairs and maintenance schedule.”

“During the budget presentation [on May 7, when the inquiry was made,] I mentioned that the District will receive an additional $96,000 for the Annual Facilities Grant, but also that school districts have not been funded specifically for inflationary pressures,” Cassidy said in her report.

“All districts in the Province are realizing the effects of rising costs, especially in the cost of materials for facility repairs, fuel, and freight and are having to redirect resources from other educational areas to manage the shortfall.”

A recent report from Director of Facilities, Art McDonald, noted that nearly half of SD73’s existing school buildings will need to be replaced in the next 20 years, as they approach the end of their 60-year-lifespan. He said about 87 per cent of SD73’s school buildings are over 40 years old, with 58 per cent over 50 years old.

“The District has a long history of using all available funding for maintenance upgrades of its schools to the greatest extent possible,” McDonald said in the 2023-24 Long-Range Facilities Plan, noting the school buildings are “in good condition relative to their age.”

But McDonald also said there is a “significant gap between the funding provided and funding that is required, noting as SD73 school buildings continue to age, this gap will “make it impossible for the District to maintain its’ buildings to current standards.”

“Considering facilities renewal is a long-term process, the District must lobby the Ministry [of Education] for increased Annual Facilities Grant and School Enhancement Program funding to ensure that SD73 can continue to maintain its’ buildings in a condition that provides healthy learning environments, until school building replacement funding becomes available,” McDonald said.

“It is ironic that the ministry of education’s own information system says that we’ll need $155 million in funding to be able to meet the needs of the schools that we have in the next five years and we get on average $6 million a year,” SD73 Vice Chair Rhonda Kershaw said, Monday. “Its not even close.”

“A very good point, a very good point absolutely,” Board Chair Heather Grieve added.