Updated French funding allocations for school districts for 2025-26 are now available. New this year, the French Programs OLEP Planning Form – FP-02 is due by October 31. Please contact EDUC.French.Education@gov.bc.ca if you have any questions.
Friday October 3, 2025
Deputy Minister of Education and Child Care
250-880-3451
Kaye.Krishna@gov.bc.ca
Hello, everyone and happy October.
Please see below for reminders related to verifying teachers’ certificate status for educators in your district, and for this year’s meeting of safe school coordinators. There are additional details about regional events for the staff or community partners who procure food for school food programs.
We just completed another GoByBike Week, so this is a perfect time to consider applying for funding to support your district’s transition to more and safer active transportation routes—please see below for opportunities for that. There is a reporting reminder related to French funding through OLEP as well as information related to standardizing contracts related to capital funding from the Ministry of Infrastructure.
And to support students in your district, there is information on WorkBC Career Profiles, as well as new resources on how to help people—including students—on how to quit vaping.
Enjoy your weekend,
Kaye
For Action
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Reminder: Verify Certificate Status
A reminder that the teachers employed by your district must hold a valid BC teaching certificate. Please review the News & Notices in the Employers’ Area and check the list of suspensions. Certificate holders recently employed by you will be flagged. You can also use the Certificate Verification Tool to check their status. If you employ certificate holders whose certificates have been suspended for not paying the annual practice fee and late fee, you may want to encourage them to pay. If the fees are not received by the ministry by October 31, 2025, their teaching certificates will be cancelled. If they wish to teach in BC again, they will need to apply for a new teaching certificate.
For Information
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Standardizing Capital Projects Contracts within Capital Asset Management Framework
As per Capital Project Funding Agreements (CPFA) and Annual Program Funding Agreements (APFA), school districts must adhere to the Capital Asset Management Framework (CAMF) guidelines and checklists. This includes the use of these standardized contracts and their supplementary conditions as best practice. Details can be found on the Resources to Support the Use of Contracts web page and should be referenced for upcoming capital project contracts. The Ministry of Infrastructure’s Education & Child Care Capital Branch will liaise directly with districts involved in any relevant upcoming projects.
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Reminder: Annual Safe School Coordinator Meeting – October 27 and 28, 2025
The 2025 Safe School Coordinator Meeting will take place October 27 and 28 at the Surrey Schools Resource & Education Centre (14123 – 92 Ave, Surrey). This annual meeting brings together new and experienced Safe School Coordinators, student safety team members, subject matter experts, and community partners to build capacity and connections, share best practices, and discuss emerging trends, challenges, and resources in the field of school safety.
This year’s meeting includes one day of intensive training on Critical Incident Response and Management and one day of collaborative and case-based learning, information sharing and updates.
Registration is separate for each day. If you plan to attend both days, please complete both registrations:
Please register no later than Friday October 17, 2025. Agenda to follow. Questions can be directed to the Student Safety Team at erase@gov.bc.ca.
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Regional Events for K–12 School Food Buyers
K–12 district and school staff, volunteers and partners involved in school food programs are invited to attend two upcoming regional networking events focused on strengthening local food procurement in BC schools:
- Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit – School Food Buyer Networking Session (October 28, 2025 – Nanaimo, BC)
For Vancouver Island region districts and schools, this session includes facilitated networking, a local lunch and opportunities to connect with Island-wide producers and processors. - Basin Food Summit – School Food Buyer Programming (November 7, 2025 – Nelson, BC)
For Kootenay-Boundary and Thompson-Okanagan region districts and schools, this event features roundtable discussions, a seasonal local lunch and opportunities to meet over 60 BC producers. (Select the Feed BC – School Food Buyer ticket option.)
Small travel bursaries may be available for both events on a first come, first served basis. Contact samantha.gambling@gov.bc.ca if you have any questions.
- Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit – School Food Buyer Networking Session (October 28, 2025 – Nanaimo, BC)
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New QuitNow Vaping Prevention Resource
QuitNow has launched a new youth-focused resource designed to support vaping prevention and promote healthier alternatives. This resource helps youth explore the reasons behind vaping and offers:
- Free support services tailored to young people
- Practical coping tools
- Connections to population-specific community organizations for additional support
A printable version featuring QR codes is available for easy sharing in schools and youth spaces.
Additionally, QuitNow offers free presentations on their smoking and vaping prevention and cessation services. This includes one-on-one phone coaching, live chat support, and a wide range of educational resources. To learn more, please contact Beth Clark, Manager of Behavioural Coaching and Outreach at QuitNow, via email at clark@bclung.ca
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Apply for Funding: Make School Routes Safer for Students
The British Columbia Vision Zero in Road Safety Grant Program provides funding to organizations, including school districts, schools and Parent Advisory Committees, to improve safety in their communities. Projects can include transforming areas used by cars to create better spaces for walking and biking or focus on education and road safety planning. Up to $20,000 is available per road safety project. Applications are due November 28, 2025. More information can be found on the Vision Zero BC website.
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WorkBC.ca Career Search Tool (CST) Decommission
The WorkBC.ca Career Search Tool (CST) has been taken offline and replaced with the new Career Profiles enhanced search function. This new page allows users to explore over 500 career profiles by occupational category and area interest.
WorkBC.ca is committed to supporting job seekers and career explorers as they navigate today’s labour market. This change makes it easier for people to find information about the jobs and careers most relevant to their goals and interests.
