When Funding Falls Short, Students Pay the Price
Adequate funding is not about spending more for the sake of spending more. It is about making sure schools have the resources they need to deliver the education we expect, and that those resources are used responsibly.
When funding does not keep pace with the actual cost of providing education, school boards face difficult choices. They have to balance their budgets, but the money has to come from somewhere. The consequences can include reductions in programs, fewer supports, deferred investments and greater pressure on the people working directly with students.
We have seen examples of these pressures across B.C. in recent years.
When a billion-dollar budget still isn't enough
In February 2025, the Surrey Board of Education announced that it was facing a $16-million shortfall for its 2025–26 budget. The district attributed the pressure to provincial funding not keeping pace with inflation and years of population growth.
Surrey reported that it was spending $54 million more annually on special education than it received in provincial special-education funding. The district also noted that approximately 93% of its budget was committed to employee salaries and benefits, leaving relatively little flexibility to absorb a significant shortfall.
The district subsequently approved a balanced $1.16-billion budget. But balancing the budget required difficult decisions, including reducing inclusive education support-worker services through attrition, reviewing programs such as elementary band, and relocating a learning-centre program.
This illustrates an important point: a large education budget does not necessarily mean a school board has enough flexible funding to meet every need.
Inclusive education: the cost of the gap
Inclusive education provides another example.
According to research published by the B.C. Teachers' Federation, provincial supplemental funding covered approximately 75.8% of what B.C. school districts spent on inclusive education in 2024–25, leaving a reported $316.8-million gap that districts had to cover from other operating resources.
The BCTF analysis reports that districts address this gap by redirecting funding from other operational areas and, in some cases, rationing inclusive-education staff and services. Because this analysis is produced by the BCTF, its interpretation should be understood in that context; however, its underlying funding and spending figures are based on provincial Ministry of Education and Child Care data.
The larger issue is straightforward: when the cost of meeting student needs exceeds the funding specifically provided for those needs, school boards must find the difference somewhere else.
That creates competing priorities.
North Vancouver faces budget pressures too
These challenges are not limited to the largest districts in B.C.
North Vancouver School District 44's 2024–25 amended budget required approximately $2.07 million from accumulated operating surplus to balance the year's budget.
The district's 2024–25 budget planning documents also identified continued enrolment growth, inflationary pressures, facility maintenance, technology and school resources among the financial pressures that needed to be addressed through the operating budget.
Using accumulated surplus can be an appropriate financial-management tool. But it is not a permanent source of annual revenue. When reserves are used to address recurring pressures, the underlying funding challenge remains.
The hidden cost of cuts
A reduction can look like a saving on a spreadsheet.
But what happens after the reduction?
A student may receive less support. A family may have to find another way to get their child to school. A teacher may have to take on additional responsibilities. A program may become less accessible. A school board may have to redirect money from another priority.
In other words, the cost does not necessarily disappear. It can simply move somewhere else.
This is particularly important when considering equity.
In 2024, the Province provided another $20 million through the Student and Family Affordability Fund to help school districts support families with expenses such as school supplies, school fees, field trips, sports and music programs. The Province said this brought total funding through the program to more than $80 million over three years.
Programs like this demonstrate how relatively targeted funding can help remove financial barriers that might otherwise prevent students from participating fully in school life.
Adequate funding and responsible spending go together
The answer is not simply to ask for more money.
School boards have a responsibility to use public funds carefully. Trustees should ask difficult questions about priorities, efficiency, outcomes and accountability.
At the same time, boards need to advocate when the funding available does not match the actual needs of their students and schools.
That means asking:
Are resources reaching students where they are needed most?
Are we planning for enrolment growth and changing student needs?
Are programs delivering meaningful outcomes?
Are we using public funds responsibly?
Are we making decisions based on evidence?
And when funding does not cover the actual cost of providing necessary services, are we advocating effectively for our schools?
Adequate funding and responsible spending are not competing ideas. They are both essential.
Funding is ultimately about opportunity
Fair and adequate funding does not mean unlimited spending. It means providing the resources necessary to deliver a strong public education, using those resources responsibly, and being accountable for the results.
When funding falls short, the consequences can reach far beyond a balance sheet.
They can affect a student's access to support, a family's ability to participate in school life, a teacher's ability to meet diverse needs, and ultimately a young person's opportunity to reach their potential.
That is why adequate funding matters. And that is why responsible leadership matters just as much.
Sources & References
Surrey Schools — “Surrey Schools needs to find $16 million to balance 2025/2026 Budget,” February 28, 2025.
Surrey Schools — “Surrey Board of Education passes balanced $1.1 billion budget for 2025-26 school year,” May 16, 2025.
B.C. Teachers' Federation — “BC's Inclusive Education Funding Gap,” 2025.
North Vancouver School District 44 — 2024/25 Board motions and amended annual budget information.
North Vancouver School District 44 — 2024/25 Annual Budget Strategic Priorities.
North Vancouver School District — 2024/25 Budget Strategic Priorities
Government of British Columbia — “More funding helps B.C. families with school expenses,” March 6, 2024.
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