February 2016
What is new in the 2015–16 district operating grants?
The figures in the Ministry of Education three-year plan are published each year in the Operating Grants Manual. Based on the Ministry’s figures for total operating grants, there is no increase in operating grants for the first two years of the new collective agreement (2013–14 and 2014–15), followed by a very large increase in Year 3 of the collective agreement (2015–16). But this increase appears larger than it is because most ($93.6 M) of the 2015–16 Labour Settlement Fund was already allocated in 2014–15 to cover the cost of the 3.25% salary increase and other improvements in Year 2 of the teachers’ settlement. The actual amount of new funding in 2015– 16 is $36.9 M, intended to cover new costs arising from Year 3 of the collective agreement.
This is before taking into account a $29 M cut to operating grants funding implemented by the Ministry, which leaves only $7.9 M in new operating grants funding in 2015–16. This is a much smaller percentage increase (+0.8%) than the Ministry data shows (2.2%). By 2016–17, the full effect of the $54 M funding cut results in an actual decrease in operating grants funding (-0.3%). This will be the first time since 2004–05 that total operating grants funding has decreased.
Source: BCTF
Government or school trustees invited to respond.
Disclaimer: ODN accused of being an apologist for the government and local MLA and being biased.
Now what will those people say?