Province says it will not make cuts to funding but also won’t commit to helping school districts struggling with shortfalls avoid cuts
As Finance Minister Brenda Bailey gets set to introduce B.C.’s budget Tuesday, the province’s educational sector is warning it isn’t getting enough support to keep up with a growing student population and the needs that come with that.
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There are also concerns that campaign promises could fall by the wayside as the government rushes to respond to tariffs set to be imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on the same day as the budget release.
Bailey told reporters Monday that there won’t be any cuts to education in the budget, but stopped short of saying it will include key NDP commitments during the last election to staff every school with a psychologist and every classroom from kindergarten to Grade 3 with an educational assistant.
“I think what’s important for people to know is that we have not stepped back in the priorities for British Columbians. In fact, we continue to work with them,” she said. “The things that they prioritize, things like health care and education, public safety and social services are protected in this budget and, at the same time, we’re looking for efficiency.”
Over the weekend, the Surrey board of education said it’s facing a $16 million shortfall and could be forced to cut music programming for Grade 7 students and the Strong Start program for early learners.
Due to budget constraints, the school district also dramatically cut funding to school bus service for more than 500 Surrey students, including children with special needs for the current school year, and moved to close three of its learning centres, leaving parents and students decrying the loss of supports for vulnerable kids.
Terry Allen, Surrey school board vice-chairperson, told Postmedia News that all districts are required to balance their budgets by law and, with 93 per cent of their roughly $1 billion budget going toward salaries and benefits, programs are the only place where cuts can be made.
Parents in Surrey have previously raised concerns about the portion of district wages allocated to higher-level employees, such as school district Supt. Mark Pearmain, who earned $395,887 in 2023, according to public records. That same year, more than half of the district’s total wages — 56.3 per cent — went to employees earning over $75,000 annually, totalling $381,921,640 out of $678,157,577.
“Over the years, there’s been a number of programs and initiatives put into the school district because we had surpluses, but at the end of the day, they don’t receive direct funding,” said Allen. “That’s really why the majority of those things are actually on the block, and to be the same with the busing was a huge deal for the board last year, simply because there’s no money for busing.”
Allen said the programs like learning centres are hard to keep funded because the school district already spends $55 million more on special education then they’re allocated by the province.
He said the teachers staffing learning centres are also needed in schools that are facing shortages of certified educators and unable to ensure each classroom has a qualified instructor.
The cuts come as Surrey continues to make news for having to stack portables on top of each other as it struggles to keep up with rapid population growth that has overwhelmed the capacity of many existing schools.
The district’s budget consultation survey will be open until April 6, with parents urged to provide their input and voice their concerns.
B.C. Teacher’s Federation president Clint Johnston said that while Surrey might be in an especially precarious position, they’re far from alone in facing funding and staffing shortages. Johnston said many rural communities in particular are struggling due to many years of neglect by the province and are unable to support the needs of teachers.
“It’s not just the direct, but even the peripheral. There’s places in British Columbia where there’s just no housing,” he said. “How do you get those public servants, which is what teachers really are, how do you get them to those communities and get them to stay there?”
The head of the teacher’s union said he wants to see the government “put its money where its mouth is” and invest in education.
Education Minister Lisa Beare declined to say what will be in the budget, deferring to Bailey, but did tell reporters at the legislature she understands the concerns of parents who could see their students negatively impacted by service cuts.
“I share the concerns with parents about vitally important programs for their kids. We want to make sure that kids have all the supports they need in the education system to thrive, which is why year-after-year, we have continually increased funding for education,” said Beare.
At the same time, she said school districts are responsible for setting their own funding priorities and that what programs get cut is up to them.
University of B.C. education professor Jason Ellis said the problem for both school districts and the province is that there is only so much money to go around and any cash that gets added to the education budget could be at the expense of other priorities, such as social housing.
“When enrolments increase and teachers’ salary costs increase, districts sometimes have to cut programs that are not covered under the allocation formula,” he said. “When you have a $1 billion budget and a $16 million shortfall, that’s not a significant cut, but it does mean that you’re going to have to think about some of those programs that you’re not required to provide.”