Parents are saying the Surrey School District is an underfunded education system that is seeing cuts in programs and services that support students with disabilities and additional support needs.
In a release Tuesday, parents say programs like StrongStart are being reduced and nearing elimination, the Intensive Literacy Program Transportation has been eliminated, and bussing for students with disabilities and support needs has been reduced by more than half.
They say that over 500 families received letters “denying access to transportation services for the upcoming 2024-25 school year.”
School Board Trustee and Budget Chair Terry Allen tells 1130 NewsRadio that the ministry provides “absolutely nothing” for busing and they have to dip into their operating costs. He says that resulted in the district having to make cuts in that area.
“We had a budget of $7.5 million for busing, and we’ve reduced it to $3 million,” said Allen.
Parents say while some families have been able to figure out an alternative transportation method, many others aren’t able to do so.
“This is a safety issue as well as an equity issue. If students are not able to get to their school-based programs, they are not able to access their education.”
Devon MacDonald, a Surrey mom, tells 1130 NewsRadio that her children have not had in-classroom support for the last three years.
“My oldest child is a type one diabetic. He has epilepsy. He’s on the autism spectrum, and he also has ADHD, and all of those things combined require a high level of support in terms of monitoring his blood glucose levels and making sure that he has adequate support in the classroom,” she said.
Macdonald says it has impacted her son’s participation in class because he does not have equitable support.
She says the education system is leaving students with “extraordinary needs or support needs behind.”
“(It) leaves behind a lot of kids like my own that are on the autism spectrum, have complex health conditions, have issues with communication, and for instance, being nonverbal and so not able to communicate or advocate for themselves,” MacDonald said.
The concerned mom says the district is working with what they have, but the ministry is failing them.
She says while she can’t put a dollar amount on how much funding the school district needs, she thinks because Surrey is “the largest enhanced growing school district in the province,” the funding that is currently allotted to the city is “not even close to enough.”
The Ministry of Education tells 1130 NewsRadio that it is their priority to ensure all students in B.C. receive the support they need. It says it understands families of children with complex needs face challenges, and it tries its best to remove those barriers.
“We’ve increased funding to districts for inclusive supports and services by more than 100 per cent since 2017, and we have taken action to support school districts throughout B.C. with specialized services for kids with disabilities and diverse abilities through several provincially funded outreach programs,” said Rachna Singh, minister of education and child care, in an email statement.
Singh says while it is the district’s responsibility to manage their budgets, her ministry is committed to working together with the district to ensure funding is utilized effectively.
As of Tuesday, Surrey parents are asking the ministry for some short-term funding, totalling $3.5 million.
“To ensure students with disabilities and support needs arrive safely to their education, we call on the Ministry of Education to immediately provide funding for bussing to the Surrey School District equivalent to that of the cost of portables.”
The ministry says the province is expecting to “provide over $950 million in funding to support students with disabilities and diverse abilities for this coming school year.”
—With files from Raynaldo Suarez and Srushti Gangdev.