Community Living Highlights of the BC Budget 2010
The provincial government tabled its 2010/11 – 2012/13 budget and fiscal plan yesterday, revealing flat-lined budgets to Community Living BC (the Crown Agency responsible for supports and services for adults with developmental disabilities) and the Ministry of Children and Families (the ministry responsible for supports and services for children and youth with special needs).
At a time when new investments are crucially needed to keep people off of waitlists, this budget is empty of any commitment towards improving the lives of children and youth with special needs and adults with developmental disabilities in BC. Read the press release here.
The overall highlights of the 2010/2011 – 2012/2013 Budget are:
Community Living BC:
Background
- As of December 31, 2009, CLBC had open files for 12,585 adults with a developmental disability.
- By March 31, 2010, it is projected that 12,718 eligible individuals will be registered for service with CLBC; a growth of 32% over five years.
- This growth rate is expected to continue.
- To reduce cost, CLBC plans to “focus on alternative residential settings.”
Caseload and budget:
- CLBC will see a 2.8% increase in its budget in 2010/11, with no new increases before 2013. (page 27, service plan)
- CLBC is expected to see a 5.5% increase in caseload for 2010/11. (page 16)
- This leaves an immediate gap that will continue to grow.
- Caseload continues to grow over the years at around 5% per year, yet there are no new increases in years two and three to cover the increase. This means that each year, waitlists will get bigger and bigger.
- CLBC talks about “finding efficiencies” to cover this gap. We worry that as finding efficiencies takes priority, individual need and best practices will be secondary, resulting in congregate care and segregation.
- “No provision has been made for any additional commitments arising from new collective agreements.” – *This means that organizations that provide services to people with developmental disabilities will have to absorb any additional costs that may come from collective agreements, forcing them to make cuts within their own budgets.
Ministry of Education
Background:
- School boards across the province are being forced to find efficiencies after years of inadequate funding.
- There are few programs that boards have the option of cutting - special education programs are unprotected, making them extremely vulnerable to cuts.
- All boards are required by law to balance their budgets regardless of provincial funding shortfalls.
- The province only funds half or less of what districts actually spend on special education - a subsidy that is hard for trustees to defend when schools are being closed and core programs slashed.
- School boards in Victoria, Vancouver and Surrey have already warned that they will have to cut their special education budget. http://momsnetwork.ca/
Budget:
- Increases in the Ministry of Education budget included a modest increase in per-pupil funding (.37/day), teachers’ salaries and all-day kindergarten.
- There is no new money to ensure students with special needs receive the support they need to be included in the classroom.
For more information, including budget highlights, the budget speech and the powerpoint presentation, visit the Government of BC's Budget 2010 website: http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2010/
Other Resources:
CLBC Service Plan
Ministry Service Plans:
Ministry of Children and Family Developmtent Service Plan
Ministry of Housing and Social Development Service Plan
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development
Community Responses to Budget:
BC Government Employees Union
BC Teachers Federation
BC Association of Social Workers
BC School Trustees Association
