The Liberal government’s 2012 budget struck a sour note with many involved in public education.
Finance Minister Kevin Falcon touted the budget on Tuesday, saying the Liberal government will increase education funding by $165 million over three years, despite a trend of declining enrollment, while block funding to school districts remains unchanged at $4.7 billion per year through to 2014-15.
However, the B.C. Teachers’ Federation condemned the budget, calling it the beginning of a second decade of deep cuts for B.C. schools.
The modest increases contained in the budget don’t come close to offsetting rising costs due to inflation, amounting to a funding cut of $100 million annually, according to BCTF President Susan Lambert.
“Sadly, this government is putting B.C. in a race to the bottom,” she said.
Maple Ridge school board chair Mike Murray said the lack of new education funding means school districts will continue to face funding pressures.
“Districts are certainly going to be feeling the pressure over this budget, and our district is no different,” he said. “I appreciate the province’s need to manage their own finances … but the reality is that we don’t control the size of the envelope, we can only control what we do with it.”
Murray said the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School District is in stronger shape financially than many other districts.
“We’re in not bad financial shape because of the responsible, difficult decisions previous boards have made to cut administration staff and close schools,” he said. “We’re pretty lean, but we always have to be looking areas where we can save.”
Murray said he hopes to be able to balance the district’s budget without negatively affecting the classroom.
“That’s always the last thing we want to do,” he said.
