Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid cut short a meeting with the Vancouver School Board Tuesday morning, after refusing requests for emergency funding and an independent review of provincial funding.

MacDiarmid met with trustees in the wake of a government advisor's report that slammed the VSB for its financial management and strategic planning.

The minister cut off the planned hour-long meeting after about 45 minutes, saying that she had an event to attend in Richmond.

Board chair Patti Bacchus told ctvbc.ca that MacDiarmid stayed long enough to hear a request from board members for emergency funding to address what they say is a $16-million budget shortfall.

"She wouldn't commit to that," Bacchus said. "She said, ‘There is no money.'"

The report from comptroller general Cheryl Wenezenki-Yolland accused the board of mismanaging funds, and identified $12 million worth of revenue and cost-savings measures like closing schools and charging higher rental fees.

Bacchus called that report a "political review" -- Wenezenki-Yolland is a Ministry of Finance employee -- and said the board also requested that an independent consultant review how schools are funded in B.C.

"We wanted to talk about what we saw as a real need for an independent review of the funding model for education for schools across the province," Bacchus said.

That request was also turned down.

MacDiarmid told reporters that it was a "difficult meeting," and described the VSB's reaction to Wenezenki-Yolland's report as "dismissive."

"I certainly was very deeply concerned when I read this report," MacDiarmid said. "I continue to be very concerned about planning and the fact that management recommendations have not been taken in some cases by this board."

She added that the ministry does not consider the board's financial situation an emergency.

"There's not going to be further funding for the 2010-2011 year," she said.

Before ending Tuesday's meeting, MacDiarmid and the board agreed to another meeting this summer, but Bacchus said that will not happen until after June 23, when the board is scheduled to vote on its final budget.

The budget includes drastic cost-cutting measures such as scrapping programs, laying off teachers and cutting special education resources.