Nanaimo trustees have a long list of concerns about the way school districts are funded that will be included in a report sent to the province later this fall.
The B.C. School Trustees’ Association is collecting feedback from school boards on the funding formula for allocating operating grants, which will be given to a provincial committee that makes recommendations to the Education Ministry on funding formula changes.
Sharon Welch, Nanaimo school board chairwoman, said trustees came up with two pages of concerns about the way districts are currently funded, most of which have to do with predictability and stability of funding.
Concerns range from fully funding changes to collective agreements and employee benefits, to removing funding support for private schools, to more advance notice of funding changes.
“We’d love to see a plan that looks four or five years out,” she said.
Welch has applied to be part of a representative working committee consisting of eight school board chairs, which will review and consolidate the submissions from all districts.
Preliminary funding grants are announced in March.
