Editor:
Billions of dollars have been spent on a stadium roof, a highway to Whistler and a two-week Olympic party.
The extravagant spending of our current government has left the average British Columbia family out of the equation.
In a 10-year period, B.C. students have lost guaranteed supports in the classroom and class size limits to protect their learning needs.
Since then-education minister Christy Clark removed student support and class size limits from public education in 2002, the government has had one consistent message, “There isn’t enough money.”
Through illegally eliminating teachers’ working conditions, our current government spent tax dollars on frills which came at the expense of students’ right to quality public education.
Students are waiting for the level of support others received over the past decade.
Teachers are taking action to ensure class size limits and guaranteed supports, for all students, are rightfully restored.
To this end, British Columbia teachers are committed to negotiating a fair agreement with our employer.
We believe it is time for the government to invest a bit more in teachers and a lot more in students.
Derek DeGear
President, Nanaimo District Teachers’ Association