District makes funding plea as Surrey schools run short of paper – BC

The Surrey School District is calling on the B.C. government to increase provincial funding after reports of multiple schools running short of paper.

This follows the recent announcement made on Feb. 28 by the Surrey Board of Education of a $16 million budget shortfall for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year.

The board says provincial funding is lacking due to inflation and Surrey’s growing population.

Surrey Board of Education Chair Gary Tymoschuk says, because each school is responsible for managing its budget throughout the school year, “it’s possible that some schools are in fact running a bit low [on paper].”

Tymoschuk says the district is able to reallocate resources when schools report running short.

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But he says funding for public education has changed over the years.

“Twenty years ago, the provincial government used to fund public education. About 15 per cent of their total budget,” Tymoschuk says.

“That’s dropped down to about eight per cent of their total budget.”

In response to the shortfall, Tymoschuk says inflation and infrastructure needs are a priority.

“[Inflation] is not funded, and we’ve got to find ways to make that balance throughout the district,” says Tymoschuk.

“We’ve got a lot of schools, a lot of structures that we [have] to heat. Things like business infrastructure or technology. Or all of the buildings we [have to] maintain and make sure they’re in good repair all the time,” says Tymoschuk.

Tymoschuk says the board met last week with the Education Minister to express their concerns.