Budget 2020 ensures B.C.’s education system will have the highest school operating funding ever, investing more than $20 billion for B.C.’s schools over the next three years, with the highest capital funding at $2.8 billion over three years.

• Children and youth in care, children living in low income families and a greater number of students with mental health challenges will benefit from a new $23-million supplement being allocated to school districts in 2020-21.
• School boards will determine how this funding is used based on the students in their community who need the extra support. Districts will use the supplement to provide additional supports and services to these students, including trauma counselling, tutoring, mental health prevention strategies or hiring additional support staff.
• B.C. students will also benefit from an estimated $144.6 million in new operating funding for K-12 public schools in 2020-21. 
• This increase will bring the total public school operating grant to $5.536 billion for the 2020-21 school year, supporting 3,480 more full-time students in September 2020, based on school district enrolment estimates.
• When all operating funding for public schools is included, the average per-student funding in 2020-21 is estimated to be $10,749, 13% higher than in 2016-17.
• Students at rural schools will benefit from the largest one-year funding increase ever for their schools, with $321.6 million allocated this year, $26.5 million more than last year and $49.4 million more than in 2016-17.
• The amount of money school districts receive to support Indigenous learners and students with special needs is increasing for the 2020-21 school year.
• Students with special needs are being supported with an estimated $627 million in supplemental funding in 2020-21 – an increase of $163 million (35%) since the 2016-17 school year.
• Indigenous learners will benefit from an estimated $93.3 million in supplemental funding in 2020-21 – an increase of $23.7 million (34%) since the 2016-17 school year.
• Preliminary operating grants are released in March each year, providing school districts with funding rates and estimates to support their budgeting process for the next school year.

Learn More:

Preliminary operating grants for the 2020-21 school year are now available here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/resource-management/k-12-funding-and-allocation/operating-grants/k12funding-20-21