‘Clock Ticking’ on Deal with Teachers
Prince George, B.C. – With just one week to go until B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong delivers the provincial budget there’s still no deal in place between the BCTF and the Province.
BCTF president Glen Hansman says de Jong’s budget is important because teachers are expecting the government to properly fund all its obligations following the union’s Supreme Court victory in November.
“Talks are ongoing, the parties are meeting regularly, we had several dates last week and we’ve been meeting as much as possible and we’ll continue to meet until it gets done,” Hansman tells 250News.
“We’re keen to get this finalized so that the following school year can start off on the right footing.”
BCTF president Glen Hansman
He’s expecting the Province to come through with $300 million – that’s on top of the $50 million interim measure announced last month and on top of the $80 million Teacher Education Fund negotiated in 2014.
“The $300 million is what we’re estimating the Province must include in the budget to do the full scope restoration,” says Hansman.
“There’s been a lot taken out of the system over the past 15 years but on a year to year basis we know approximately what they’ve been saving and so that number is representative of what’s been taken out.”
Last week the union outlined what the key funding priorities for government should be.
It included calling on the Ministry of Education to act on the recommendations from the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government and Services of the past two years that have called for adequate, stable and predictable funding for K-12 public education.
They also recommended reinstating free tuition for adults taking adult education to upgrade secondary courses, that funding be provided to address issues of mental health and to eliminate public funding for independent schools over a four-year timeline.
Hansman says it’s important to arrive at a deal as soon as possible because school districts start hiring for the following school year in March and April.
Comments
“Hansman says it’s important to arrive at a deal as soon as possible because school districts start hiring for the following school year in March and April.”
No, more like the little hostages will be off on summer vacation in a few months.
Here we go again!
Eliminate funding for independent schools
What they really mean is elliminate funding for non-union schools that cost half as much as BCTF schools and generally perform better. How will this save any money? Once the independent schools are gone, we have to pay to have these kids be taught by BCTF for twice the cost.
Seems a bit self serving.
The court ruling did not give the bctf full and open access to the pubic purse but reinststed the clause that was removed from the contract allowed bargaining the contents thereof.
Given that the teachers union has a very poor record of how to reach a deal at the table by the process give and take it might be time to give them a remedial course in Labour Negotiation 101. Birkenstocks on the bricks for 5 or 6 weeks might refresh their memory.
when does this madness stop … 300 million for a system that wants to eliminate letter grades to further obscure any accountability , oh for a Government that actually has a set to say enough is enough , and before this post gets flamed to death by the many , you should stop and check and see what your average PG ambulance attendant gets paid or hey better yet have a heart attack and see how woefully underfunded your health system is in PG , things are seriously out of balance…
I am thoroughly disgusted to hear that the teacher’s union wants the provincial government to eliminate funding for private schools. I would like to know how they think they can tell the government how to spend education money.
Are the parents who send their children to private school also provincial taxpayers?
The public education system isn’t that great from my personal experience so why shouldn’t taxpayers have a choice where to send their children to school? The private school parents are still paying for their children’s education, paying provincial and school taxes, and their children are “taxing” the public education system with their presence.
Whoops, that should have read “and their children are not “taxing” the public education system…”
I’ve asked a few teachers about their thoughts on re-instating the terms of their 1999 “sweetheart” deal from the NDP. I’ve suggested that instead of having that contract reinstated, how about we go back to re-instating their contract to the conditions that were in place before the mess that was created by their “sweetheart” deal!
My suggestion was met with blank stares, haha!
Looks like the BCTF might have to take this incompetent BC Liberal Government to court again over non-compliance matters. So, how often do the teachers have to “school” this government, before it stops repeating it’s same old mistakes?
Yup, no doubt about it folks, we have a government that refuses to learn from it’s mistakes!
I’m confused – again. Wouldn’t it be better for the BCTF to stall as long as they can, and then when the Liberals are defeated and the NDP take power, they’ll have friendly faces at the other side of the table – heck, on the same side of the table. Unless, the BCTF already knows the NDP haven’t got a hope. Wow, talk about throwing the towel in early.
The private school system should be funded by gov. also, as they do a better job teaching students than the public school system. Many students in the elementary school public system have very poor math skills and this shows up at the grade 8 level in high school. Too many public high school students do little and graduate with minimal marks on a dogwood.
Marks are so low that many are required to redo high school course again before they can enter college or university. Students who are required to redo their high school courses, upgrading classes, should be required to pay out of their own pocket as taxpayers have already given them a free ride. Gov. funding should invested into better qualified teachers and not into the hands of the BCTF. BCTF Social Justice uses teachers monies and donates it for politics and social issues around the world instead of investing it directly into educational issues in BC
You might want to do some fact checking before posting your hearsay comments manofsteel. The fact is 81% of all students entering grade 8, complete high school, you can find those numbers on page 7 of this School District 57 Report.
www .sd57.bc.ca/school/abed/Lists/Publications/2014.12.15%20Superintendent%20Report%20on%20Achievement.pdf
I like how this site is changing, people can’t just post unsubstantiated comments without being fact checked. I like that because Lieberal supporters can no longer get away with posting their unsubstantiated bull.
You like how this site is changing, and yet you don’t seem to appreciate it very much when I and others regularly point out the fallacies of your “Facts and Truth”, haha!
You should change your mantra from facts and truths to Alternate Facts and Outright Lies!
By the way, did you google “PragerU Why I Left the Left” and watch David Rubin’s video? What did you think of it?
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