The COVID-19 pandemic has upended life for students, teachers and everyone connected to public schools. The crisis has also exposed the fragilities of the economy in meeting the basic needs of all and highlighted the importance of the public sector, of community, and of care work. Schools are key public spaces of community and care. They must be protected and made more resilient both during and coming out of this public health crisis. In this unique, urgent context, British Columbia teachers are pleased to present their views on priorities for the 2021 provincial budget to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services. The British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) represents 43,000 teachers and associated professionals in public schools across British Columbia. This year, the brief to the Committee is focused on two categories of recommendation: those aimed at underlying, long-term issues in the public education system, and those arising from the intertwined public health and economic crises, labelled (COVID-19). In these challenging times, British Columbia has an opportunity to make the necessary and pressing improvements to public education that will re-orient public education funding to fully reflect the needs of students, classrooms, and schools as community hubs. Good will on the part of everyone in the system will surely allow for the establishment of a new equilibrium, where schools and students across the province have what they need to flourish and thrive.