Hi everyone!

As you may know, on Tuesday, May 27, the Burnaby School Board approved the 2025/2026 budget. That approval included the elimination of the BETA Mini School for next year and the phase out of the MACC program.

The good news is that our cause was raised during Question Period in the BC Legislature on Monday and our petition was presented this morning.

WE DO STILL HAVE HOPE,  but we need to continue to make noise and keep the pressure on our politicians. Specifically, section 129.1 of the Education Act states that “the board shall not, without the prior approval of the minister, reduce or eliminate the amount budgeted for students enrolled in special education programs below the budgeted expenditures for those students for the previous fiscal year.” The definition of “special education programs” is at the discretion of the Minister. In this case, Minister Beare could mandate the programs be continued. 

Additionally, the Superintendent implied at the budget meeting that the cuts are not being made to save costs - they are being made to trigger overage funding. 

Please email the B.C. Minister of Education, your local MLA, and the Premier’s office to encourage them to take action on this issue. They need to feel pressure to take action and will only feel that pressure if you contact them. 

Thank you for your support!