Parents, teachers and activists gathered outside ministry offices in Maple Ridge, B.C., Saturday afternoon to protest for more adequate funding for provincial schools as K-12 and post-secondary institutions around the province continue to be impacted by cuts. The rally kicked off at 1 p.m. outside B.C. Education Minister Lisa Beare’s office as members of local parent advisory councils descended with signs bearing slogans “Invest in kids, not cuts” and “no more delay, schools today.” Laura Kwong, chair of the New Westminster District parent advisory council, said the group were rallying for increased funding for public education as the school districts look to prepare their annual budget in advance of the upcoming school year. “Each school district is facing massive deficits,” she said. “The allocations provided per student in each district are not enough to cover the cost of actually delivering education.” Across the board, Kwong says the districts are seeing cuts to teachers, resources and learning aid, busing and transportation, and essential programs and primary education for the younger students entering the public education system. Districts are also struggling to afford to stay on top of essential school building maintenance, she said. Districts have been able to protect students by some degree by dipping into the federal funding that was provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, but with funds running dry, the products and services that have been barely propped up in recent years will soon be forced to a halt. “We’re getting to a tipping point now,” says Kwong, adding how teachers, the B.C. School Trustees Association and parents have been rallying against the issue for years. “That cushion that was provided has totally gone, and coupled with increasing inflationary costs and the economic situation today, it’s just hit districts so hard this year,” she said. Kwong expects the lack of funds will lead to a “significant decrease” in the quality of education that students are receiving, with vulnerable learners, and those with disabilities or extra learning needs, set to be hit the hardest. “Those kids are going to suffer disproportionately. Students with mental health needs, they are also going to suffer,” she said. “You have a kid who should have a right to education getting 50 percent, that’s unacceptable.” Kwong said rallies are also planned throughout the province in the coming weeks, including in Kamloops and Surrey. It comes after the district announced earlier this month that approximately 50 positions will be cut across schools in Surrey as it struggles with a $16 million budget shortfall. With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Jim Fong
