Education Funding: Finance System  

The issue

The education finance system is broken, partially because of government-imposed austerity, but also because of a disconnect between the mandate(s) of the education system and how it is funded.  

A stable system over the long term is needed to allow for forward thinking and planning that is based on school boards focused on what is good and what can be improved in the district, rather than on where are the least harmful places to cut services.  

A commitment to adequately funding the full mandate is one of the keys to a sound system, rather than piecemeal funding for specific items as one-off expenditure, as has been happening in the past.   

Adequacy is not enough though—equity must also be a value on which funding is based.  Equity must take into account the very different realities in different communities and areas of the province. Resources must be distributed in a way that a child anywhere in the province has equitable access to opportunities.