K-12 Funding – Newcomer Refugees

Date came into force or revised

Issued January 2011

Status

Current

Policy statement

School-age students who are refugees, ordinarily resident, and enroll in a British Columbia public school for the first time after September 30 and by the February enrolment data collection date in a given school year are eligible for mid-year funding.

Rationale or purpose of policy

Some school-aged immigrants arrive in Canada as refugees. Many of these high needs newcomers enroll in B.C. public schools after the September 30 enrolment reporting deadline to the Ministry of Education and Child Care.

School districts may report newcomer refugee students for funding purposes in the February enrollment on the Form 1701 file. Before reporting these students as newcomer refugees in February, verify they are new to the country and enrolling in a British Columbia school for the first time, after September 30 and by the February enrollment date.

Some refugee students may be eligible for supplementary English Language Learning (ELL) support services and funding.  These students must meet the eligibility criteria in the ELL Funding Policy in order to be eligible for ELL supplemental funding.

Authority

Sections 106.3 (5) and (6) of the School Act (PDF) provide the legal framework for funding English language learners (ELL students).

Policy in full

School-age students who are refugees and who are enrolled in a B.C. school as at September 30 are eligible for the full base student funding grant (the Basic Allocation) and any supplemental funding for which these students may be eligible according to the Operating Grants Manual for the current year.

School-age students who are refugees and who enroll in a B.C. public school for the first time after September 30 and by the February enrolment date in a given school year are eligible for 50 percent of the Basic Allocation.  If reported in a Continuing Education (CE) or Distributed Learning (DL) school, regular CE or DL funding will be provided.

Refugee students reported in February as ELL and who meet all of the requirements as specified on the February Form 1701 Instructions may qualify for ELL supplementary funding. Refugee students enrolled with the Conseil scolaire francophone may be reported in ELL for Apprentissage de la langue anglaise (ALA) services if all of the above eligibility requirements are met.  This will be funded at 50 percent of the ELL supplement for each eligible refugee student.

According to ELL Funding Policy, students are eligible for ELL funding for up to five years, provided they continue to meet funding criteria.  This 50 percent February enrollment funding does not count as the first year of funding.

Adults are not eligible for February newcomer refugee funding.

Procedures

Students who are refugees and who are enrolled in a B.C. public standard or alternate school for the first time after September 30 and by the February enrollment date in a given school year should be identified as newcomer refugee on the Form 1701 for February.

For February enrollment only, verify the newcomer students were not already reported to the ministry in any other previous enrollment data collection. Newcomer refugee students who were reported for funding purposes in a previous enrollment data collection will not be recognized for additional funding in the February data collection.

Ensure these students have current immigration documentation indicating recent arrival in Canada in the refugee class. Ensure a copy of the immigration documentation is in the student’s file, clearly indicating refugee status.

Include students who are refugee claimants. As they do not yet have official refugee status, include a copy of their refugee protection claimant documentation in the student file.

Students who are refugees and who are eligible for ELL services according to the ELL eligibility criteria in the ELL Policy should be reported on the Form 1701.