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Letters: Clark and Fassbender responsible if Langley schools stay closed

Dear Editor,

Premier Clark’s dispute with teachers must end so schools can reopen Sept. 2. Otherwise the premier, Minister Peter Fassbender, and all members of caucus must accept full responsibility for the major problem before us.

Their position, after two court decisions favouring teachers, is untenable to the point our mediators won’t touch this dispute.

How can they ask any group of employees to put aside two favourable court decisions? Teachers experienced a lengthy court process over many years and won.

I find their education cost-cutting goal and spending priorities repugnant. I find Finance Minister De Jong’s $40 per day per child payback scheme offensive, and Education Minister Fassbender’s suggestion on Global TV

News suggesting parents consider private schools totally inappropriate for the office. By making this suggestion, the minister betrayed public education.

By her actions over a number of years, it seems the premier and her caucus have little respect for public education, and they feel they’re above federal law.

They’ve twisted our constitutional law to their own selfish provincial budgetary end, as determined in court, by launching their appeal and now by closing schools.  

Cancelling classes till the court appeal judgment is totally unacceptable.

Under the circumstances, the premier has made a serious error of judgment, if she believes any large, well organized employee group can be bullied back to work.

How does all this fit with Families First?

If she does not act quickly to open classrooms, history will have her the author of this debacle.

Larri Woodrow, Walnut Grove