How many parents out there think their child is perfectly average?
The B.C. school system is pinning their hopes that they are. That’s because this province has eroded education funding to the point where, in our school district, the school board is having to cut its operating budget by $1.8 million this year.
This builds on the past decade of continual budget reductions.
Now, a portion of that reduction in funding is due to a declining number of students in the school district; however, nearly $1.2 million of that deficit will come directly from services — things that directly impact the education of our kids.
It might be easy to point the blame at local school trustees, but they are required by law to turn in a balanced budget. The allocation of funds for the budget comes from the province.
And so, to make these cuts, the school district is considering a wide range of reductions, especially to the programs that go beyond the basics to help children who might not be your average student.
They are the kids who need speech therapy, or special learning resources, kids who might need counselling services to cope with struggles in their lives or kids who are gifted and need additional challenges to help them reach their potential.
There are cuts to music and to librarians.
Funding has been eroded and now there’s little to be spared for kids who don’t fit the mold – some of them already the most vulnerable in the school system.
So if you child isn’t average, maybe it’s time to take a stand.
Write a letter to Peter Fassbender, the Minister of Education, or to our own MLA Greg Kyllo. Tell them none of our students are average and our education system shouldn’t be either.