Concerns mount over plans to alter funding for B.C. schools

The funding model for B.C.'s school districts is under review from the province, and members of the Surrey Board of Education fear their school district will take a financial hit.

Last week, B.C.'s education minister announced the province's decades-old K-12 public education funding model is being reviewed by a panel of experts, with plans for a new model to be introduced by the 2019-2020 school year.

Under the current model, schools districts across the province receive funding based on the number of students that are enrolled.

The province says the per-pupil funding model is necessary to reflect the modern needs of B.C. school districts, many of which often struggle to balance their budgets.

But according to Surrey School Board vice-chair Terry Allen, larger districts like Surrey could end up losing money, if the funding model changes.

"If there's no more money going in, the only way you can fund any changes is taking from those that already have it," Allen told CBC News.

"We simply see it as robbing Peter to pay Paul."

A $5B redistribution

The B.C. government currently distributes $5.65 billion annually to 60 school districts across the province under the per-pupil funding formula, meaning districts get paid a flat rate per student.

The Surrey School District currently receives $8,657 per student — or more than $600 million for its 72,000 students.

Small school districts receive significantly less funding due to the size of their enrolment and can face steep drops in funding if enrolment suddenly drops between school years.

The province's plan is to make funding more equitable and predictable between school districts. The B.C. Teacher's Federation has already sent a submission advocating for a needs-based formula as opposed to the per-pupil formula.

Under a needs-based formula, funding would be assessed by determining how much money a school district needs to retain adequate staff, program offerings and basic maintenance and operational costs.

"Funding must be responsive and proportional to the real, identified needs experienced by schools and school districts," reads the BCTF submission.

"Insufficient funding stemming from the per-student-centered formula has not only created the conditions for, but also enforced, painful cuts to programs, facilities, and staff."

The province says the new funding model will look to support vulnerable students, including children in care, children with special needs and Indigenous students, as well as rural and remote school districts.

Big districts could lose out

But Allen fears students in his school district, and other large districts like Vancouver, will end up losing money

"Any change in the per-pupil funding can only take away from the students in Surrey," he said. "We can't see how it could be any other way … the board of education is seriously concerned that we can only lose — we cannot gain."

"It's not broken, and it doesn't need fixing," he added, noting that some schools in Surrey eclipse entire rural districts in terms of enrolment.

B.C. Education Minister Rob Fleming said it's too early to tell if per-pupil funding would be dissolved, adding "districts like Surrey ... are going to have a lot of input into this review."

A seven person review panel will spend the next year engaging with education stakeholders before recommending a new model to the ministry.