What a Vancouver school trustee decides, and why the board was fired in 2016

The school board race sits at the bottom of the Vancouver ballot, and it has the most direct effect on families. Nine trustees elected on October 17, 2026 will run the Vancouver School District until 2030. This guide explains what the job covers, where its limits are, and why the whole board was once removed.

Nine trustees, one district

The Vancouver Board of Education has nine elected trustees and a student trustee, according to the district. The nine are elected at large, at the same time as the mayor, council and Park Board, and serve a four-year term from November 2026 to 2030.

The district they oversee is large. When the board approved its 2026 to 2027 budget on April 29, 2026, the district said the plan covers more than 100 schools and worksites, more than 51,000 students and nearly 8,000 staff. The budget was $826 million.

What trustees decide

The district describes trustees as "members of a corporate board responsible for the improvement of student achievement". They act under the provincial School Act. Their main decisions are:

• The annual budget. How the district's money is divided between classroom support, special education, supervision, buildings and administration.
• Which schools stay open. Closures and consolidations are board decisions, and they are often the most disputed.
• Capital priorities. Which schools the district asks the Province to rebuild or upgrade first, including seismic work.
• District policy. Rules that apply across all schools, and oversight of the superintendent who runs the district day to day.

The 2026 to 2027 budget shows these choices at work. The district said it added education assistant support and supervision aide hours, and began exploring more before and after school child care, while dealing with declining enrolment and a drop in international student revenue.

What trustees cannot decide

Trustees do not set how much money arrives. The district's 2025 to 2026 financial plan says 92% of its revenue comes from the provincial government through the Ministry of Education and Child Care, and that salaries and benefits make up 91% of operating spending. That leaves a small share of the budget that trustees can move without changing staffing. They also cannot run a deficit. The district states that all school boards in BC are legally required to pass balanced budgets. A candidate who promises new programs has to show what the board would cut or where new money would come from.

Why the board was fired in 2016

That legal duty has already ended one Vancouver board. In October 2016, Education Minister Mike Bernier fired all nine elected trustees. He said the board had missed the legal deadline in June to pass a balanced budget, among other issues. "What we have witnessed from the Vancouver School Board is a misplaced focus on political tactics rather than responsible stewardship," he said, as quoted by CBC News.

The trustees rejected that view. Board chair Mike Lombardi called the firing "outrageous", and the trustees said they had been trying to keep schools open. The BC School Trustees Association called the move "unfortunate" but justified, CBC reported.

The Province appointed an official trustee to run the district. Vancouver held a by-election in 2017 for one council seat and all nine trustee seats, according to the City's election data. CBC also noted that Vancouver's board had been removed once before, in 1985.

Who gets a school board ballot

The Vancouver School District is larger than the City of Vancouver. It also includes the University of British Columbia campus and the University Endowment Lands, which are outside the city. Residents there vote for school trustees only. They do not vote for mayor, council or Park Board, unless they also qualify in the city through owning property there.

If you live at UBC, check the City's official voting place finder for the places that serve your area. Our where to vote page lists every voting place in the city.

Time on the job

The district says a trustee spends an average of 15 hours a week on the role: public and private board meetings, committee meetings, agenda packages, and messages from parents and staff. New trustees attend orientation sessions from November 2 to 5, 2026. A district employee who wins a seat must resign from their job with the district.

The money in the race

Elections BC set the 2026 spending limit for each Vancouver trustee candidate at $145,022.99 during the campaign period, September 19 to October 17. Third parties advertising about trustee candidates in Vancouver may spend up to $8,936.16.

How to vote in this race

You can mark up to nine trustee candidates, and fewer is allowed. Mark ten or more and every school board vote on your ballot is rejected. See our guide to marking the Vancouver ballot. Every trustee candidate has a profile on our candidates page.

Questions worth asking a trustee candidate

• Which school closures, if any, would you support, and what test would you use?
• With a balanced budget required, what would you cut to pay for your top priority?
• Which schools should be first in line for seismic upgrades?
• How would you work with the Province when funding falls short?