Editor: I am a teacher in the Coquitlam School District.
Education funding as a percentage of the provincial budget has declined from 26 per cent to 15 per cent. This has caused B.C.’s student funding to fall dramatically behind that of other provinces.
Money has been re-directed from the education budget to items such as the 2010 Olympics and the $650 million roof for BC Place. In 2002, the government legislated away the right of teachers to bargain class size and special needs composition within their classes.
After many years and millions of dollars from teachers’ pockets, a Supreme Court judge told the BC Liberal government that they acted illegally. The BC Liberal government has ignored the judge’s ruling.
The severity of our under-funded education system has put enormous stress on teachers, who by the way are paid 20 per cent less than teachers in Alberta.
Teachers are feeling demoralized as this government continues to show its disrespect for education and the children of B.C. Please support us by e-mailing Premier Christy Clark at premier@gov.bc.ca.
Jan Stuart,
Langley