PLEASE SHARE, forward to your MLA, Education Minister, Premier Let mediation work, lets get students back to the classroom. We disagree with the position that teachers return to class before a settlement is reached. We disagree with the position that class size and composition not be part of present mediation. We disagree that special education students or any type of learner be blamed for the present underfunding we are facing in our schools. We do not believe parents should be involved in government/teacher negotiations. It is every parent’s right to advocate for their own child at the school level but not the right of others to determine the type of support or resources their child receives. This type of parent involvement at the classroom level on this issue is not practical and would create more stress and dissention in our schools. There has been a 12 year struggle to regain the funding that was taken away from all students resulting in unworkable learning and teaching conditions. Class size, composition and ratios to specialist workloads have worked well before government took that language away in 2002. Matching need with service is the best way to guarantee support for students and allow the classroom teacher to focus on all children. Schools require psychologists, counselors, librarians, speech and language therapists, English language teachers, music and drama teachers, Special Assistants etc. to provide excellent and timely service to students. Teachers have written thousands of letters explaining how the cuts are affecting students, and sought to restore this language to bargaining. Twice the courts found them right and ordered government to make amends. Now in the middle of negotiations and after 18 months, a small minority of stakeholders is further exacerbating the issue and risking mediation failure. This is unacceptable to us as students, parents, teachers and taxpaying citizens. We all want schools to open as soon as possible. We urgently ask government to bring to the table appropriate funding to public education, the cornerstone of our democratic society.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 18:12:55 +0000