Questions and answers about the underfunding of BC public schools

February 2016

What about the holdback?

The operating grants funding includes a holdback that is held in contingency to provide funding for unanticipated enrolment that occurs during the school year beyond what has been estimated before the school year begins3. The 2015–16 holdback of $55.5 M is not enough to fund the $62.6 M required to fund the unanticipated enrolment in September 2015, creating a shortfall of $6.7 M. While the Ministry has indicated it has allocated an additional $6.7 M to fund the increased enrolment4, this leaves no holdback remaining to fund any additional unanticipated enrolment in the February and May 2016 counts. This is especially of concern, considering the new students enrolling mid-year who are recently arrived or expected to arrive as refugees from Syria.
How will the $29 M cut in “Administrative savings” affect students?

Budget 2015 announced a $54 M cut to operating grants funding, which the Ministry refers to as “Administrative savings”. The funding cut is being implemented over two years, with a $29 M cut to 2015–16 district operating grants, and a further $25 M cut in 2016–17.5 This funding cut will add further to the district budget shortfalls that underlie cuts to education programs and services.
The BC School Trustees’ Association surveyed districts about the programs and services that will be affected by budget cutbacks in 2015–16. In the BCSTA survey,6 school districts identified a wide range of cost-cutting measures that will impact students. Cuts that may not directly impact classrooms but will affect students include a reduction in or elimination of student bussing services as well as implementation of monthly student transportation fees, reduced custodial services for schools, and deferment or cancellation of technology upgrades and implementation. Ways in which classrooms will be impacted directly by these cuts include increased class sizes, reduced support services for students, including fewer Education Assistant hours, reduced school supply budgets affecting the classroom directly, program, classroom, and school closures, expanded introduction of a two-week spring break, reduced library time and fewer library services for students, and many other impacts. The impact of these cuts will deepen in 2016–17, when SD operating grants will be cut by another $25 M in “Administrative savings”.

source: BCTF