Underfunded First Nations schools crumbling

Parliamentary budget officer calls for 50 per cent hike in capital spending on reserve schools

OTTAWA — Schools on B. C.’ s First Nations reserves are older and shabbier than similar schools operated by the province’s public school boards and require an immediate 50- per- cent increase in annual funding.

That’s the conclusion of a report released Thursday by the parliamentary budget officer.

It says the federal government spends an average of $ 26 million a year for upkeep and occasional replacement of reserve schools. That should be increased to $ 39 million this year, rising to $ 47 million a year within 15 years, the PBO argues.

The study examined the condition of 86 reserve schools comprising 116 “structures.” ( A steel and concrete school with an adjoining portable classroom would total two structures.)

B. C.’ s reserve schools are in better shape than those in the rest of Canada, with 76 of the 116 structures — or 66 per cent — ranked “good or better.” Just 12 structures — about 10 per cent — were classified as “poor or worse.”

But the federally funded schools are still older and in rougher shape than schools in the provincial system, according to the report. They average 23 years old, compared to 18 years for small public schools in B. C.’ s rural and remote districts.

Just to bring the reserve schools up to the condition of nearby public schools would require an additional $ 4 million a year, according to the report.

“This is not surprising but it’s disappointing, and I hope the government starts paying attention,” said B. C. New Democrat MP Jean Crowder, who requested the report.

Crowder noted reserve schools also pay less than schools in the provincial system, making it tougher for First Nations to keep young teachers once they have gained experience.

A spokeswoman for Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt said the federal government has built or renovated 260 First Nations’ schools since 2006, including 26 in B. C.

Andrea Richer said the government is committed to passing a First Nations Education Act that will improve educational standards and result in “stable and predictable” school funding — though Crowder said the law won’t fill the spending gap identified by the PBO.

The PBO report cites federal documents stating that federal spending for upkeep of reserve school is under “considerable pressure,” resulting in “many worthwhile projects ( being) deferred due to the need to fund projects with more immediate health and safety impacts.”

That leads to “premature rustout of assets, often due to a lack of regular maintenance and limited local capacity to operate; and infrastructure funding diverted to cover price and volume increases in social and educational costs,” the federal document noted.

But the report suggested B. C.’ s on- reserve schools could be managed more cheaply if operated at the same capacity as schools in the provincial system. On- reserve schools operated at an average 57 per cent capacity in 2012- 13, according to the PBO, with one school operating at sevenpercent capacity and another at 133- per- cent capacity. The average for comparable pro-vincialsystem schools is 89 per cent.

While PBO officials said it wouldn’t be realistic to assume an on- reserve school could use methods used by public schools to improve capacity, like busing, they noted the schools would cost only $ 30 million annually by 2028- 29 if they were run at 89- per- cent capacity.

The report was based on federal government data as well as a survey of officials with the on- reserve schools, which are almost all run by First Nations. The report cites Statistics Canada data indicating that B. C.’ s on- reserve population will grow at a 2.4 per cent annual rate from 2006 to 2031, far above the 1.4 per cent for B. C.’ s overall population. The schoolage population will still rise by 37 per cent between 2006 and 2031, it said.