The review panel for the K-12 Public Education Funding Review has been selected by Minister of Education Rob Fleming, and the guiding principles for a new funding model have been finalized. 

The principles were co-developed by the Province and the B.C. School Trustees Association, the co-governors of B.C.’s public school system.

Fleming has appointed Chris Trumpy, a former deputy minister of finance, as the chair of the panel, which will consult with stakeholders and undertake further research and analysis on a new funding model. He will be joined by the following panel members:

• Flavia Coughlan
  • Secretary-treasurer, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows District
  • Vice-president, B.C. Association of School Business Officials (BCASBO)

• Piet Langstraat
  • Superintendent, Greater Victoria School District
  • Former superintendent in the Alberta school system
     
• Lynda Minnabarriet
  • Secretary-treasurer, Gold Trail School District
  • Chair, B.C. Education Marketplace
     
• Kelly Pollack
  • Partner, Human Capital Strategies
  • Founder and former CEO, Immigrant Employment Council of B.C.
     
• Philip Steenkamp
  • Vice-president, external relations, University of British Columbia
  • Former deputy minister, ministries of Advanced Education, Aboriginal Affairs, Tourism, Culture and the Arts, and Regional Economic and Skills Development
     
• Angus Wilson
  • Superintendent, Mission School District
  • Former superintendent, Haida Gwaii School District

The panel will review the current funding model — how government distributes more than $5.65 billion in operating funding to 60 boards of education throughout the province. The current system was established in 2002, and needs to be updated to reflect changes underway within B.C.’s education system, rising enrolment and to better support student success.

The goal of the review is to find a better way to provide equitable and predictable funding to boards of education. A new funding model should also look to better support vulnerable students, including children in care, children with special needs and Indigenous students, as well as rural and remote school districts, and those with fast-growing student populations.

Consultations with key education stakeholders will take place during the spring of 2018. The new model will be guided by the following principles:

1. Responsive: Allocate available resources among boards of education in consideration of unique local and provincial operational requirements.
2. Equitable: Facilitate access to comparable levels of educational services and opportunities for individual students throughout the province.
3. Stable and Predictable: Support strategic, multi-year planning for educational programming and school district operations.
4. Flexible: Respect the autonomy of, and not unnecessarily restrict, individual boards of education in the spending of their funding allocations to further student success.
5. Transparent: Calculate funding using a clear and transparent methodology.
6. Accountable: Allocate resources to boards of education in the most efficient manner and ensure that resources provided are being utilized as intended.

After consulting with stakeholders, the panel will summarize what it heard and recommend options for a new funding model to the ministry.  

A new model will be developed by government with implementation planned for the 2019-20 school year.

Learn More:

For more information on the K-12 Public Education Funding Model Review: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/administration/resource-management/k-12-funding-and-allocation/k-12-public-education-funding-model-review