Every year, school trustees across British Columbia gather their most pressing concerns and send them forward in a formal appeal to the provincial government. On June 23, 2025, the British Columbia School Trustees Association (BCSTA) released its 2026 Budget Submission, urging the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services to increase and stabilise K–12 education funding across the province.
This year’s submission, backed by motions from BCSTA’s 2025 Annual General Meeting and informed by the real conditions facing school districts, includes recommendations in three areas that strike at the heart of what public schools are struggling to provide:
- early learning and child care
- cybersecurity infrastructure
- targeted support for vulnerable students
The BCSTA’s verbal and written advocacy, including remarks by Vice-President Bob Holmes, emphasises the growing complexity of student needs and the structural gap between these needs and the resources currently available to meet them. While the submission reflects the collective voice of elected trustees from every region of the province, it is now up to the provincial government to decide whether to act.
BCSTA President Tracy Loffler stated, “School districts are facing challenging times. With increased and equitable funding, we can strengthen supports and build a more robust public education system—one where every student has the opportunity to thrive.”
What this means for families
Parents and families might never read a budget submission, but they feel the effects of budget choices every day—when occupational therapy is delayed for months, when a child with a disability is removed from class due to lack of support, when school counsellors rotate between four or five sites, or when “free” education comes with constant fundraising pressure and supply lists.
This submission reflects what many of us already know: public education in B.C. is under pressure, and local school boards cannot fill provincial funding gaps alone. The collective voice of trustees matters, but pressure from families, community organisations, and frontline staff is also essential. The provincial budget is a moral document, and the 2026 edition will reveal whether the government is willing to invest in every child—or continue balancing the books on the backs of the most vulnerable.
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