Our Trustee Eden
In their comments both letter writers argue our public schools are generously funded by the provincial government and the shortfalls our boards are experiencing have a host of other origins which are not being generated by the Ministry.
Yes, we have indeed heard the mantra before – highest funding ever?
In their creative analysis of school district budgets, the government and their local spokespersons do not suitably place the numbers within inflationary context. Despite provincial claims to the contrary, there has been virtually no actual increase to public education funding between 1992 and the current year.
In fact, the 1990 operating grant (in 2006 dollars) was over $200 more per pupil than we now receive under current funding levels.
While funding per student (taking the total funding amount and dividing it by the number of full-time enrolments) may have increased marginally, any rise disappears once inflation (Consumer Price Index) is factored in. Apart from our salary costs negotiated and passed on by Victoria but not fully funded – inflation on our fuel, supplies and services place vast pressures on school district budgets.
Between 2001–02 and 2009–10, public education funding increased by 19% while inflation increased by about 25%.
Costs of new initiatives downloaded to school boards- like the new data management system, BCeSIS, Bill 33 guidelines, increased obligations to early literacy and preparing achievement contract information enforced by Bill 20- are not resourced by the ministry. As to full day kindergarten the jury is still out and past experience does not breed optimism.
In addition – the services to our children triggered by special needs designations are not fully funded and must be subsidised from our operating grant. All costs related to these additional components of our responsibilities have to be met by reducing services and programs for our kids.
This is the dilemma all boards in BC face.
Further, the authors assume the fixed operating costs in our schools decrease when there is an enrolment decline. Anyone familiar with the functions of our school districts knows better. Buildings must be lit, heated and cared for – grounds must be maintained, health and safety standards still require our vigilance. This costs money even if we temporarily have fewer students in our classrooms. Our neighbourhood schools are a treasured public asset and boards are obligated by our mandate to care for them.
Mr Brackenbury bitterly grumbles over the direction of a large percentage of district funds to salaries. However his facts are distorted. Yes – we do spend about 85% of our operating grant on all wages and salaries (for teachers, support staff, trustees, administrators including principals and vice principals and other professionals) however –any valued public service is labour intensive. He is troubled there are only ‘crumbs’ left to meet student needs after the salaries are paid to our employees but what promotes learning more decisively than the teachers and other staff who toil in our schools. All these people are devoted to providing the best learning opportunities under demanding material conditions even if it means unpaid working hours, unmanageable stress and out of pocket expense to resource our classrooms. Without their willingness to go beyond expected duties, our children would be in more dire straights at the hands of the ministry.
If the Liberal propaganda machine is hell bent on rationalising and promoting its savaging of public education, it will have to do better than this. Unsubstantiated and discredited bits of party line doggerel will not convince anyone they are supporting our public schools and the families who rely on them.
Best to talk to your kids and their teachers for a more realistic and relevant view – or come to a board meeting and watch us struggle with all this. Those who dictate from the ministry are responsible for the learning environment they are imposing – blaming the people who are trying to nurture our children despite this thoughtless ideology is a distraction and a lie.
