School's (Almost) Out For Summer

By 250 News

The Prince George and District Teachers’ Association is looking back on a school year that got off to an admittedly rocky start.

“We did have a rough start to the school year with our two week strike,” says Association President Karen MacKay, “but from that strike money was saved by the government, and they did use that money to put back into teachers.”

MacKay says those savings helped with the hiring of about 16 additional teachers at the secondary school level in the second semester, which helped with class sizes. MacKay adds there was another positive development over the course of the school year, with introduction of legislation to limit class sizes in the province.

Today is the last instructional day for students in District 57 but teachers will have an additional administrative day tomorrow. “On the last instructional day there’s a lot of activity happening,” says MacKay. “...[There’s]... a feeling of relief that we made it through another year, but also it’s a time when we reflect back on the year, and students graduate, and as teachers retire they move on to bigger and better things.”

And MacKay says there are people to thank as the year comes to a close. “The senior administration at the board office has worked very hard along with the trustees. And we’d like to say a farewell to Dick Chambers as he enters into retirement.”

As for the next school year, MacKay says all teachers in B.C. are hoping for a collective agreement so classes resume smoothly in September.

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