In addition to the funding recommended by Vince Ready, the government now has the $150M saved in teachers wages. Will they put that directly back into education?
If not the government will have gained approximately $50M from this labour disruption, and teachers will have paid for any improvements in the children's learning conditions. Perhaps MLAs (and retired MLAs) will contribute 10 days of their income for the sake of the kids!

The money from the wages saved could be used to hire extra teachers and TAs to help the students make up for the time lost.

I recall that Shirley Bond made a committment that School Boards could keep the money saved. I note that Gordon Campbell is now saying (with a smirk) that the money will be used to fund Ready's recommendations. Is he overruling one of his own? Is it another example of double-speak?

The teachers can have a vote to either accept or reject the Ready recommendations, however this will have no bearing on anything because they are engaged in an illegal strike. Their vote means nothing to the courts. The court has already ruled that they are in comtempt. If they do not return to work they will individually be subject to fines and possible imprisonment. The leader of the BCTF Jenny Simms knows this and that is why she is recommending that they accept Readys report. She has no doubt taken steps to ensure that the Union is safe from further fines. She should be clearly outlining to her members that they are now responsible as individuals for there actions. A refusal to return to work will only cause them more problems and cost them more money. This strike is over.

The "strike" is over and the teachers are further behind than ever. The BCTF leadership is crap. It was a mistake to go the union route as this just attracts the radical socialist/union thugs that just want to hate somebody. The public doesn't like thugs using their kids for their selfish ends.
Teachers have to dump the union and get back in touch with their communities.
The number one thing that has to happen is getting over the politcal correctness and clear the class rooms of special needs kids. They get their own class in school and can socialize at lunch time. This single simple change will bring back teacher job satisfation and boost moral and performance of all the kids.
Realisticly, why drag down 98 % of the kids for the 2% special needs. The whole mess was created by a few folks that had retarded kids but could stand the reality. So everyone gets dragged down to the same level.
Time to get real. I'm with the teachers on this one, the BCTF can get stuffed! I'm sure I win a seat on the school board on this issue, but I simply can not take on another job, especial one that is not the easy route that got us here in the first place. Dragging people out of a hole is always harder than letting them fall in. Like bloody Lemmings.

That's what I like to hear, well reasoned arguments free of insults and bigotry, and written with an eye to convincing people based on rational thought. It is so refreshing of YamaDooPolCat to give us an example of high road reasoning, with the utmost sensitivity to the feelings of those parents who have to deal with Special children for the rest of their lives, countering terms like "retard" and so on. He msut be really proud of himself that he can use that kind of non-politically correct language to attack children who have absolutely no way of defending themselves now, or ever. What a pity for us all that he just can't put his name forward for election, thus allowing the general public to make it really clear what they think of him, but, as he says, "The public doesn't like thugs using their kids for their selfish ends!"

When did RETARDED become Special Needs.......Don

Thanks for the encouragement Ammonra, but maybe next term if things finaly get caught up around here. Hopefully when the time comes you will publish my agenda and get the word out to everyone.
I didn't realize your kid is in the 2%. It'll be OK you will see, your kid will never notice the difference.

Pu-leese!!!

Someone asked us to conjugate Latin once before, now how does it go?

Ignoramus, Ignoratus, Ignore asses??

Comments by YamaDooPolCat like "techers should dump the union" haven't done much homework. Teachers were 'forced' into a union by the government of the day and have been 'forced' into contracts that aren't contracts ever since the formation of this union. If this government allowed them to disband this union, the next government (and I'm sure it will change), will force them into something else.
Our main problem here is, and always has been, the government. This government makes laws retroactive to over ride the supreme court. That is not governing. That is dictating and they know it. They don't care because they CAN do whatever they want. This problem can only be fixed by the people. Voting this government out can only result in another dictator coming into power and imposing more of their will on us under another party name.

Effective recall is the only non-violent solution and we all know if WE were the politician sitting in Victoria we would also become the dictator, so recall will not be altered as long as the power to alter lies with the dictator.

History,even before biblical times, has shown that basically nothing changes without violence. Ask Nelson Mandela?

Rolihlahla Mandela was born deep in the black homeland of Transkei on July 18, 1918. His first name could be interpreted, prophetically, as "troublemaker." The Nelson was added later, by a primary school teacher with delusions of imperial splendor.

Nelson Mandela
As the world's most famous prisoner and, now, his country's leader, he exemplifies a moral integrity that shines far beyond South Africa
By ANDRE BRINK