September 3, 2025
RED FM News Desk
As students return to classes, school districts across British Columbia are grappling with significant budget cuts that have left educators with fewer resources. This situation has led school trustees and parents to declare the system is at a “crunch point,” despite the provincial government’s claims of record investments in public education.
In the Kamloops-Thompson School District 73, nearly $5.8 million was cut from the budget, resulting in the elimination of 74 full-time teaching positions and reductions to support staff, principals, and supplies. Bonnie McBride, chair of the district parent advisory council, emphasized that there’s no more flexibility at the board level and that the funding model needs a fundamental change.
Other districts are facing similar challenges. Surrey, the province’s largest district, reported a $16 million shortfall, while Burnaby cut $4.2 million, affecting programs like elementary band, counseling, and international student assistance. The local teachers’ association in Surrey even warned of school-wide paper shortages.
While the Ministry of Education stated that the 2025-26 school year has the highest funding for districts ever, averaging over $13,600 per student, the B.C. School Trustees’ Association (BCSTA) highlights a different trend. The BCSTA’s 2026 budget report shows that public school districts are receiving a smaller portion of the total provincial budget than they did two decades ago, dropping from 15.49% in 2001-02 to just 7.97% this year. This disparity suggests that while the overall funding amount may have increased, it has not kept pace with the provincial budget’s growth.
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