The British Columbia Teachers' Federation and a number of its locals annually present to the Select Standing Committee. They do so because they think it is important to inform the committee and the public about the difference between the education funding decisions made by government and the reality of the needs in the schools. In reading…

Teachers and the British Columbia (BC) government share a common interest in a quality education system that serves both their students and society. Even with that common interest, they often do not agree on what resources are required to achieve and maintain quality education. In this brief the British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF)…

The BC Ministry of Education announcement about 2012-13 operating grants estimates includes "new" funding to districts of $11.2 million for vulnerable students, $10.7 million for districts to implement elements of the Education Plan, and $21.8 million to address "districts' differing geographic circumstances." This makes for a total of $43.7…

Students in British Columbia are being shortchanged in comparison to students elsewhere in Canada. The teachers of BC are urgently appealing to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services to recommend to government sufficient increases in education funding to reverse this situation and provide more educational services to BC…

Tuition revenue from overseas students increased by over $9 million dollars in 2011-12 over the previous year. It reached a record amount of $138,848,821. The increased revenue reflects an increase of nearly 500 international students, reaching a total of 9,281.1 (FTE). However, the patterns of inequality continue to be reinforced, because most of…

This report presents facts and figures on British Columbia's education for 2012. It is divided into the following seven sections: (1) Schools, which covers: (a) Number of public schools; (b) Number of independent (private) schools; (c) School closures; (d) Rural schools and students; (e) School-district amalgamation; and (f) School safety: Seismic…

After two years of decline, the tuition from international students increased in 2010-11 and reached more than $129 million. The revenue from international students has more than doubled in a decade, from $55.5 million in 2001-02. This revenue is the most significant source of funding for K-12 education in BC outside of direct grants from the…

Each budget year, the Ministry of Education responds to concerns about chronic underfunding of public education by asserting that the ministry is providing its "highest funding ever" during a sustained period of declining student enrolment. This assertion of the "highest funding ever" continues in "Budget 2011," ignoring the evidence of a systemic…

This brief presents the views of the members of the British Columbia Teachers' Federation on the provincial government's budget to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services. It is a crucial time for public education in British Columbia and they take very seriously the chance to provide information and their perspective on…

A news release by the BC Ministry of Education on December 9, 2011 describes upcoming changes to the funding formula for the 2012-13 Operating Grants and announces increases in CommunityLink funding for 2012-13 and 2013-14. This research report analyzes the potential impact of these changes and compares BC's performance in improving education…

If our students are to be prepared for the demands of the 21st century, we must find ways to meet their educational needs. We have increasing numbers of students with special needs, in particular a dramatic increase in students identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In 2009-10 there were 2,548 more of these identified students than five years…

Each budget year the Ministry of Education responds to concerns about chronic underfunding of public education by asserting that the ministry is providing "more funding than ever" during a sustained period of declining student enrolment. While the nominal amount of education funding has increased, this increase has not been sufficient to fully…

In March of each year, the ministry publishes the Operating Grants Manual showing estimated funding allocations for school districts for the upcoming school year. These estimates are based on enrolment projections. On September 30 of the new school year, enrolment is counted and the grants are recalculated based on actual enrolment. The ministry…

This research report examines changes in FTE teachers, FTE administrators, and teacher-administrator ratios, drawing on two data sources over two time periods. The Ministry of Education collects statistics about administrators from two different data sources. Teacher Statistics, an annual report published by the ministry uses data collected in…

The Ministry of Education recently announced the cancellation of the Annual Facility Grant (AFG) for 2009-10, resulting in a loss of $110 million dollars in revenue to school districts. This decision comes after Boards of Education submitted their 2009-10 balanced budgets by June 30, based on expected revenues for the coming school year. Boards of…