BCTF seeks $300M education boost and end to funding of private schools
VANCOUVER — The B.C. Teachers Federation is calling on the province to inject at least $300 million into education in the upcoming budget and to begin the gradual elimination of public funding for independent schools.
The new cash would come in addition to a $50-million interim deal made last month to partly address a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling, which requires the B.C. government to restore language in teachers’ contracts on class size, class composition and specialist teachers.
“The upcoming budget must be a turning point in education funding in B.C.,” BCTF president Glen Hansman said in a statement. “That means not shortchanging school districts or leaving them to scramble and make more cuts from other areas.”
At the same time, BCTF is calling for a four-year plan that would abolish public funding of independent schools. Private schools in this province receive operating grants valued at between 35 and 50 per cent of the per student funding given to public schools.
The first step of the teachers’ recommendation would see the province drop the value of those grants to between 20 and 53 per cent for the 2017 fiscal year.
The province is set to unveil the 2017 budget on Feb. 21, and the union’s wish list also includes new funding for seismic upgrades, student mental health, tuitionfree adult education, development of learning resources reflective of every B.C. First Nation, and early identification, designation and educational support for students with special needs.
The union argues that implementation of the revised K-12 curriculum will require grants of at least $1,500 per teacher annually — or about $60 million — over three years.