Powell River Literacy Council received a surprise from the provincial government on Monday, March 25.
“I can’t say I was expecting this,” said Margaret Leitner, executive administrator of Powell River Employment Program (PREP) Society and literacy council chair. “We look forward to receiving our contract to see if all the funding has been reinstated to us and the community.”
The contract will come from Decoda Literacy Solutions, a not-for-profit organization designed to fund provincial literacy networks. The $1-million funding brings the total grant funding to Decoda to $2.5 million from the ministry of education in 2012/2013. It includes $500,000 provided in September for the Raise-A-Reader campaign.
In February, Decoda sent a letter to 55 of 104 literacy task groups informing them they would have their literacy coordination funding cut. Powell River received one of the letters.
After the cuts were announced the local literacy council met to decide what steps to take.
Last week, Decoda sent a letter to PREP, which oversees grant money for local literacy programs, saying it is preparing to reverse the funding cuts.
“We are preparing our contribution agreements for the same amount as last year for all the communities that were notified that funding would not be available to them,” reads the Decoda letter. New funding agreements are expected to go out this week.
“There has been a lot of kerfuffle throughout the province with 55 communities losing their funding,” said Leitner. “Everybody was raising the issue, so I think all the pressure from the communities and MLAs had an impact on the ministry.”
Education Minister Don McRae made the announcement on March 25 at Decoda’s conference in Vancouver on literacy and essential skills in the BC labour market.
“Although we faced tough choices to remain fiscally responsible, I committed to working with Decoda to try and find additional funds for their coordination of community literacy programs,” said McRae. “I believe strongly in the work they are doing and I’m very pleased that we were able to provide this grant so that Decoda can continue its important literacy outreach programs in every region of the province.”
Leitner said the literacy council is waiting for the details of the funding before making any plans for literacy work this year. “It will all depend on the funding we acquire,” she said. “The letter said that they would be sending the information out sometime after Easter. I’m looking forward to that.”
