Further belt tightening by school districts across the province has resulted in $25 million in administrative savings, and each board will get a share of the pie.

Education Minister Mike Bernier made the announcement on Tuesday morning at Surrey’s Holly Elementary School, noting that the Surrey School District will get $3.12 million.

“I want to start by thanking the school districts for all the hard work they’ve done…in districts right across the province of B.C.,” Bernier said.

What will the money be used for?

Bernier said that decision has been left up to trustees in each district.

“From busing, new teachers, new school programs, even keeping a school open, it will allow school districts to make those decisions,” he said.

NDP leader John Horgan said the education ministry’s program to demand administrative savings from B.C.’s 60 school districts was directed by Premier Christy Clark two years ago, and Tuesday’s announcement is an effort to put an end to bad publicity over local school cuts.

“Parents, teachers, district representatives have been grappling with these issues for 23 months, and in the last hour the premier comes forward with next to nothing,” Horgan said.

“This $25 million that will not be clawed back does not cover the additional costs for broadband technologies that will be coming into school districts. That’s $26 million.”

Fraser Valley school districts will be sharing the funding:

• Abbotsford—$846,484

• Langley—$851,770

• Surrey—$3,128,483

• Chilliwack—$603,535

• Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows—$631,773

• Delta—$690,188

BC Teachers Federation president Jim Iker said Tuesday’s announcement shows the government is “listening to the building public pressure.”

The $25 million “is an important turning point for public education as it shows the government is feeling the pressure one year out from a provincial election,” Iker said. “Public advocacy clearly works.”

Other districts receiving funding include:

SD 5 Southeast Kootenay—$277,377

SD 6 Rocky Mountain—$168,700

SD 8 Kootenay Lake—$252,383

SD 10 Arrow Lakes—$36,091

SD 19 Revelstoke—$51,315

SD 20 Kootenay-Columbia—$178,204

SD 22 Vernon—$382,586

SD 23 Central Okanagan—$967,983

SD 27 Cariboo-Chilcotin—$259,687

SD 28 Quesnel—$168,780

SD 39 Vancouver—$2,251,318

SD 40 New Westminster—$295,560

SD 41 Burnaby—$1,027,783

SD 43 Coquitlam—$1,338,556

SD 44 North Vancouver—$665,252

SD 45 West Vancouver—$284,472

SD 46 Sunshine Coast—$182,072

SD 47 Powell River—$105,664

SD 48 Sea to Sky—$224,674

SD 49 Central Coast—$28,001

SD 50 Haida Gwaii—$50,678

SD 51 Boundary—$77,888

SD 52 Prince Rupert—$123,861

SD 53 Okanagan Similkameen—$118,102

SD 54 Bulkley Valley—$110,533

SD 57 Prince George—$622,655

SD 58 Nicola-Similkameen—$122,301

SD 59 Peace River South—$205,328

SD 60 Peace River North—$307,317

SD 61 Greater Victoria—$827,353

SD 62 Sooke—$450,041

SD 63 Saanich—$329,692

SD 64 Gulf Islands—$99,976

SD 67 Okanagan Skaha—$266,527

SD 68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith—$593,079

SD 69 Qualicum—$197,263

SD 70 Alberni—$184,456

SD 71 Comox Valley—$354,941

SD 72 Campbell River—$255,596

SD 73 Kamloops/Thompson—$673,698

SD 74 Gold Trail—$97,792

SD 75 Mission—$280,146

SD 78 Fraser-Cascade—$96,520

SD 79 Cowichan Valley—$348,411

SD 81 Fort Nelson—$48,645

SD 82 Coast Mountains—$248,728

SD 83 North Okanagan-Shuswap—$302,206

SD 84 Vancouver Island West—$40,077

SD 85 Vancouver Island North—$89,257

SD 87 Stikine—$27,319

SD 91 Nechako Lakes—$253,903

SD 92 Nisga’a—$38,961

SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone—$386,075

—with files from Tom Fletcher