The B.C. government's commitment to spend an extra $1 million on special needs education in private schools has left advocates in the public system feeling left out.

The funding boost will be used to double the number of designated Special Education Schools in the province from six to 15, Education Minister Mike Bernier announced Tuesday, and will amount to $2,000 in support for each student who qualifies.

"This is really to help recognize needs for programs for our diversity that we have in the province of British Columbia, and students who require supports and special help," Bernier said.

The private schools that will benefit from the funding offer highly specialized programs, the government said, and additional supports such as therapists and speech-language pathologists.

But the funding boost is jarring to parents like Andrea Kennedy, who blame the province for cuts to the public system that have resulted in the loss of specialized teachers and education assistants.

Kennedy, who has two children who are autistic, said B.C. should be using the money from its unexpected budget surplus to increase funding for students with special needs everywhere, not just in private schools.

"One would think there might be money for an increase for everyone," said Kennedy, who represents the advocacy group Action for Equitable Access to Education.

"The public system is underfunded and under-resourced, and if there's funds available for private schools then there should be funds available for public schools as well. Our kids need this increase just as much or more than a child in private school would."

Quality education is a human right, she added, not a privilege for people who can afford the cost of independent school tuition.

The head of the Federation of Independent School Associations noted that students in Special Education Schools only receive 50 per cent of the funding of their public school counterparts. That amounts to $37,700 per student, according to the province.

"It is clearly a work in progress," the association's executive director Peter Froese said. "We are very grateful, but it will continue to be on our agenda to meet with the government to see if additional funding can be provided."

The Ministry of Education said the new funding won't take away from students in public schools. But that's of little consolation to Kennedy, who had to move her family from Port Moody to Surrey to access a better education for her children.

She pointed to her group's 2015 survey of 236 parents who have children with special needs. Just over half said they had removed a child from public education, and the most common reason given was that a lack of support had left their child with deteriorating emotional health.

That meant anxiety, depression, PTSD and suicidal thoughts, according to the poll.

"All children should have access to the specialized services they need, not just children who can afford private school," Kennedy said.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Julie Nolin