Province slashes IDL schools funding
Families choosing distributed learning will receive $800 less per student in the coming year
Families that choose to educate their kids at home say they’ve been “blindsided” by a $12-million funding cut that could jeopardize B.C.’s independent distributed learning system.
Last Monday, the Ministry of Education told the province’s 16 IDL schools they will receive about $800 less per student effective July 1.
“It feels like they tried to sneak this in during the pandemic,” said Capri Rietel. The Maple Ridge mother of four has one child enrolled in an IDL school, with another beginning in September.
“No one had any idea this was coming. We had already started purchasing our curriculum and supplies for next year.”
Often mischaracterized as home-schooling, distributed learning schools — both public and independent — are overseen by a B.C.-certified teacher, follow the B.C. curriculum and award students a Dogwood Diploma when they complete provincial graduation requirements. While most learning take place at home with parental support, many schools run weekly community classes and provide online instruction and resources.
The funding cut reduces the amount for students in independent distributed learning schools from 63 per cent to 50 per cent of the amount for students in the public distributed learning system.
In a statement provided to Postmedia, the Ministry of Education said the reduction makes funding for IDL schools “consistent” with the rate received by bricks-andmortar independent schools.
“The previous government increased funding for independent school online learning in the 2012/2013 school year. This resulted in independent distributed learning schools being funded at a 13 per cent higher rate than the rest of the independent sector,” said the statement. “Government funding of independent schools is not intended to cover a school’s full operating costs, and yet the vast majority of independent distributed learning schools were able to operate without charging tuition.”
But IDL educators say the funding formula was determined in 2012 after extensive consultation with government, which involved IDL schools “opening their books” to show they couldn’t provide a B.C. education with any lesser amount.
“We now have an $800,000 shortfall to make up in a couple months. This hurts our ability to help the kids who need it the most,” said Gabe Linder, principal of Traditional Learning Academy Online, which has about 1,400 students.
The cuts mean IDL students will be funded at about 34 per cent of the amount for students in bricks-and-mortar schools in Surrey — roughly $3,000 per student compared to $9,000.
While parents don’t pay tuition for most IDL schools, they pay out-of-pocket for many things, including community classes, textbooks and sports and music lessons that are needed to meet curriculum requirements, said Linder.
The government has promised not to change funding for special needs children enrolled in IDL schools, but many parents choose home learning for kids who struggle with bullying or learn differently, as well as those with socioeconomic issues.
“A chunk of our budget is set aside to help families who have come to us because the public school system wasn’t working for their kids,” said Linder. “These are B.C. students from taxpaying families.”
The majority of IDL families get by on a single income because one parent must be home with the kids, said Sara Kraushar, academic head of Heritage Christian Online School, which has about 5,200 students. “Many families have been hit by the pandemic, so the timing of this is really brutal.”