Frequently asked questions about our guiding principles for

							BC Ministry Education - Media room

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Guiding Principles For Education
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Funding
How is education funded in BC? What is the operating budget for 2002/03? Why did government change the funding formula? How does the new funding formula work? How are independent schools funded? What is the current funding for independent schools? How is special education funded? How is education funded in BC? The education system in British Columbia is co-managed by the provincial government and the 60 elected school boards. The amount of grant funding for public education is established yearly by the provincial government. A funding formula is used based on the relative costs of providing educational programs, to allocate these funds out to the school districts. Districts manage and allocate their allotment based on local spending priorities. In addition, capital costs and funding for special programs are provided through supplemental government funds. More What is the operation budget for 2002/03? $3,790,359,974 This amount is predicted to remain stable for the 2003/04 and 2004/05 school years. For more details see the 2002/03 Operating Grants Manual. Why did government change the funding formula? The previous funding formula was overly complex, rigid and unfair. There were 60 different funding categories: the base allocation, plus 59 other criteria that determined how much funding each district received. These prescriptive criteria dictated how much school districts were required to spend on each provincially determined program area, with no regard to the unique circumstances and individual needs of their communities. How does the new funding formula work? The new, simplified funding formula now comprises a student base allocation, which accounts for, on average, 82 per cent of districts' budgets plus supplementary grants. There are five broad categories for supplementary grants:

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Unique student needs, including Special Needs, English as a Second Language, Aboriginal Education and Adult Education Enrolment decline, where enrolments decrease by more than one per cent in a year Salary differentials, for districts with higher average teacher salaries Transportation and housing Unique geographic factors

With the exception of aboriginal education, where districts will continue to be required to allocate a specified level of funding, the supplementary grants are unconditional, meaning school boards are now able to spend those resources where students need them most. How are independent schools funded? Grants to qualifying independent schools are tied to the cost per student in public school districts. Group 1 independent schools receive 50% and group 2 schools receive 35% of the per-student operational grant issued to their local public school district. More details on the grant calculation. What is the current funding for independent schools? In the 2001/2002 school year independent schools received $153 million. The estimated grant for 2002/03 is $156.8 million. More How is special education funded? The Supplement for Unique Student Needs includes a number of programs where specific enrolments have been identified as requiring additional funding: Aboriginal Education - targeted grant to help focus funds to improve student achievement in this at-risk group.
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English as a Second Language - programs for school age students for a maximum of five years. Special Needs recognizes the additional cost of providing programs for 3 categories of students: r Level 1 (Dependent Handicapped and Deaf/Blind), r Level 2 (Moderate to Profound Intellectual Disabled, Physically Disabled, Chronic Health Impaired, Visually Impaired, Deaf/Hearing Impaired, Autistic), and r Level 3 (Intensive Behaviour Interventions or Serious Mental Illness)

Adult Education - adult students working towards their dogwood certification. The funding levels and enrolments have been set initially at the 2001/02 final levels, pending a review over the coming year.

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