KPU Budget Risks Reducing Course Access and Workforce Training for Local Students

Key Union and Faculty Concerns: FY26/27 KPU Budget

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Surrey, BC — The Kwantlen Faculty Association is calling on Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Board of Governors to table approval of the FY26–27 budget, warning that proposed cuts risk reducing course access for students and weakening KPU’s ability to prepare people in the South of the Fraser for in-demand jobs.

The budget, scheduled for approval this week, includes permanent reductions to teaching capacity and is being advanced in January rather than KPU’s usual March timeline. Faculty say the budget does not clearly show where cuts will land or how they will affect course availability, class sizes, waitlists, or students’ ability to complete programs.

“When teaching capacity is reduced, the impact shows up quickly and directly,” said Mark Diotte, President of the Kwantlen Faculty Association. “Students face fewer course sections, longer waits, and delays in completing credentials they need to get into the workforce.”

KPU serves one of the fastest-growing regions in British Columbia. As a teaching-focused university, its mandate is to provide accessible public post-secondary education aligned with regional educational and labour-market needs, including occupations identified in provincial labour market outlooks as being in sustained demand. Faculty are concerned that the proposed budget reduces instructional capacity without showing how the university will continue to meet those needs.

“When local programs are cut back, students are forced to look outside the region, take on additional costs, or delay their education altogether,” said Diotte. “That undermines access and runs counter to KPU’s role in serving this region.”

Faculty also question the longer-term implications of the budget. They argue that short-term cost reductions that shrink teaching capacity risk undermining KPU’s ability to deliver relevant programs, respond to changing labour-market demand, serve domestic students effectively, and support for underrepresented groups in higher education.

Beyond the substance of the cuts, faculty raise concerns about process. Consultation with the Faculty Association began only days before the scheduled Board vote, after the budget had already been reviewed by the Board’s Finance Committee, leaving no meaningful opportunity to influence decisions. Faculty note that KPU has previously been found in breach of its duty to consult when consultation occurred too late to matter.

The Association is further concerned that the budget is being advanced while a faculty-elected Board seat remains vacant, a student-elected Board seat remains vacant, and that the meeting scheduled to approve the budget is expected to proceed without the University President and the Board Vice-Chair present.

The Faculty Association is not opposing fiscal restraint, but is calling for a pause.

“Tabling the budget until March would allow the Board and the public to clearly understand how these decisions affect students, course access, and KPU’s ability to serve students’ educational needs and regional workforce needs,” said Diotte. “Approving permanent reductions without that clarity risks long-term harm that will be difficult to reverse.”

The Kwantlen Faculty Association represents more than 900 faculty members across KPU’s campuses.

Contact:Mark Diotte
President, Kwantlen Faculty Association

president@yourkfa.ca

« January 2026 »

Dear KFA Colleagues,

This week, the University is seeking Board approval of the FY26–27 budget. That budget includes permanent reductions to teaching capacity and is being advanced in January rather than the established March timeline which impairs proper process, transparency, and consultation.

Consultation with the KFA is required under the Collective Agreement, but began only five business days before the scheduled Board vote, and we were explicitly told that the budget was already largely set and not open to substantive change.

That is not consultation.

Because these decisions are permanent and shape workloads, class sizes, program delivery, and student access for years to come, we have formally requested that the Board table the FY26–27 budget until March. The formal letter outlining this request, sent to the President and the Board Chair, is attached.

In support of this request, we have compiled a summary of key concerns raised by faculty across multiple areas. This summary reflects what we have heard to date.

Summary of key faculty concerns to date:

The budget lacks transparency and accountability, including clear links between financial decisions and institutional strategy.
It embeds inaccuracies and year-over-year risks, including unexplained variances and assumptions.
It does not clearly distinguish between faculty, administrative, CPS, and other categories of expenditure, making meaningful analysis impossible.
It includes unexplained issues, such as the discrepancy between faculty salary actuals and claims of “underutilization,” and an increased contingency coinciding with reductions to faculty salaries.
It disconnects financial decisions from KPU’s statutory mandate as a teaching-focused public institution.
It does not account for or situate itself within the ongoing provincial post-secondary system review.
It does not visibly reflect new initiatives, including curriculum development, program development, or marketing and promotional efforts to address enrolment and reputational challenges.

More specifically, the budget does not track FY25–26 budget versus FY25–26 actuals or annualized projections, despite major revenue and expense drivers now being known. Presenting only year-over-year budget changes obscures financial performance, embeds risk, and makes it impossible to assess whether the budget reflects a coherent strategy.

If you have additional concerns or points you believe should be added to this summary, please send them by email to president@yourkfa.ca. We will continue to consolidate faculty input and ensure it is reflected accurately and responsibly in our communications.

We are acting deliberately and on the record at this stage of the process. We will keep members informed as this develops.

Best,

Mark Diotte

President, Kwantlen Faculty Association