The provincial government is encouraging communities to take advantage of school facilities.

For the 2012-’13 school year, Victoria has dumped $800,000 into the Ministry of Education’s School Community Connections (SCC). The program funds projects that expand the use of Kindergarten to Grade 12 spaces, Education Minister George Abbott announced in a press release.

“The SCC program supports greater use of school facilities and neighbourhood learning centres for the benefit of students and families in communities throughout British Columbia,” he stated.

The goal of the initiative is to encourage school boards and municipalities to work with community partners to increase the use of schools for town events and services. During this round of funding, school districts, in partnership with local governments, can submit applications for one or more projects totalling no more than $12,500.

The SCC was launched seven years ago through a one-time, $10-million grant from the Ministry of Education. The 2012-’13 school year marks the final year of the initiative.