Parents Unified Following Emergency Weekend Meeting
Prince George, B.C. – Parents are feeling unified following an emergency weekend meeting held by the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils.
Prince George DPAC president Sarah Holland attended the gathering in Richmond and says they all agreed it would be in the best interests of everyone involved to have school start on time in September.
"There was an overwhelming goal of people in the room and that was to have public school students start on time in September. We want our schools open for students at the beginning of the school year."
She adds parents want school open even if Victoria and the BCTF don't have a negotiated settlement in place yet.
"We are requesting that the government lockout be lifted and that the full strike be stopped. We're more than happy with bargaining continuing in the background with the assistance of (mediator) Vince Ready."
She says a longer term goal parents agreed on was for the government to change the funding model for education.
"We're looking for the government to provide more funding. Every student has a right to appropriate learning conditions and that might require specialized teachers, it might require learning assistants or a smaller class size."
Holland says 28 DPAC presidents participated in the meeting covering 81% of B.C.'s student population.
Comments
Ya but I heard Christy has her kid in a private school along with a lot of other politicians so they don’t really care.
September 2nd is scheduled as a Pro-D day…School won’t be starting on the 2nd regardless.
Daughters in grade 12 this year and has plans for university right after. What alternatives are there if school is delayed? if her grades suffer, she could be limited to what post-secondary schools will accept her.
This is not an issue of daycare for us, it is an issue of prompt professional service. I won’t allow my children’s education suffer because of other’s incompetency.
Only2c,
There is a private grade 12 school in Prince George that teaches the same core curriculum as the public system.
As far as I can tell from the reports, grade 12 marks at Cedars are good in comparison to the public high schools.
Granted, it will cost you about $300 per month… About the same as a nice cup of coffee at Starbucks each day. Not ideal, but it is still an option.
I am in the same boat, only2c.
Icicle, the private school isn’t taking anymore kids, I hear. The $ isn’t an issue for us, there are just no options.
The 2 parties involved each need to quit with the pissing match, and each give some. There isn’t a right and wrong in this battle. They are both wrong, and they are both holding our children’s education hostage. It needs to end, and very soon.
CNC right here on your doorstep takes students for upgrading. EXCELLENT student/teacher report, highly recommended, and the greatest thing is NO, THATS CORRECT NO TUITION FEES!
CNC only takes students that are 18 plus. And although upgrading is inexpensive, it is a poor choice to put these kids a semester (or more) behind while they upgrade because of the poor choices of the parties involved in educating them.
No tuition, but I am supporting this kid for an extra year.
Why don’t you all go for correspondence? That would put some real pressure on the government to negotiate in good faith.
Why don’t you all go for correspondence? That would put some real pressure on the government to negotiate in good faith.
As for private schools – that is exactly playing into the government’s hands. They would love to abolish public schools and have everyone go private. That would be an extreme hardship on anyone who has a limited income.
After Katrina in the States, New Orleans lost over 100 public schools to private sector. That meant overcrowding and poor quality education for a specific group – and we all know who they were.
viv: “As for private schools – that is exactly playing into the government’s hands. They would love to abolish public schools and have everyone go private.”
That is just outright BS, and nothing more than fear mongering.
How can you blame parents for looking into other options when the BCTF has had a terrible relationship with government for the past 30 years?
Blaming the Liberals as if this is a new thing is showing what a short memory some of us have.
CNC has a grade 12 course for first year college courses or used to. One of my daughters took grade 12 at the CNC, went back to the high school to write exams with her friends but that is all. Not sure what the program was/is called but as far as I know it is still going
JB: “Blaming the Liberals as if this is a new thing is showing what a short memory some of us have.”
Enlighten us JB with all your Liberal loving wisdom. How exactly has the CURRENT government tried to alleviate this situation without utilizing antagonization techniques, such as tearing up contracts and bold faced lying the last time time there was a negotiation.
Don’t look back to history from two decades ago, but rather, try and respond with your answer in the here and now, because frankly I couldn’t give two chits what Dave Barrett or Vander Zalm (et al) had to deal with concerning the BCTF. That was then, this is now.
Short memories…
The BCTF can’t seem to get along with any government? Ever wonder why? And how come other public sector unions are able to make deals but the BCTF can’t?
Maybe you could tell us about where the billions of dollars the teachers are asking for are going to come from?
No governemnt can get along with the BCTF, but at least the current government is standing up for the taxpayer, although many are too stupid to realize it.
JohnnyBelt:
“the current government is standing up for the taxpayer, although many are too stupid to realize it.”
Some would say many are stupid to trust this government.
Given this gov’t’s track record : BC Rail, HST etc.
I view everything the gov’t says with considerable skepticism.
Your constant reference to the “sweetheart deal” seems to ignore the fact that it was focussed on learning conditions that benefit students. One of the real problems with the BCTF/gov’t negotiations is that teachers are bargaining for themselves and students.
Maybe some people don’t believe that we should be #9 out of 10 in funding our students.
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