for Parents

Parents and teachers have worked together to make sure public education prospers 

Both parents and teachers have worked together to make sure public education prospers.  Teachers and parents want children to thrive in schools that are safe and supportive.

Teachers are concerned the continued cuts to education funding will make it difficult to achieve that goal. Smaller class sizes, extra help for kids with special needs, more ESL teachers, librarians, and counsellors are what children need. Specialist teachers will make sure that your child masters skills, copes with stress, and responds with confidence to the challenges and changes in a fast-paced world. Please take a moment to look at the Public education needs a better deal pamphlet.  

The current job action has everything to do with the guarantee for learning conditions that has an effect on every child. The court has decided the government legislation of Bill 28 illegally stripped those learning conditions and the right to negotiate those conditions from the previous collective agreement. The government has flatly refused to consider any proposal to remedy the unconstitutionality of Bills 27/28 that would include contractual guarantees for quality teaching and learning conditions. 

The government has also refused to make any reasonable offer in regards to the current negotiations to move towards a settlement. Instead, the government proposes to further strip the collective agreement. The BC Public School Employers’ Association has tabled a package of proposals that would eliminate working conditions standards and widely accepted union principles such as seniority, transparency, and objectivity in hiring.  As well, it would strip fairness and due process from evaluation, discipline, and dismissal.

The BCTF bargaining team has tabled modest proposals based on the conditions teachers work under in other provinces. Unfortunately, these proposals have been portrayed as unreasonable and costing billions. This is simply not true.

Earlier this year, teachers released a plan, Better Schools for BC, which builds on current successes and teachers’ dedication to developing your child’s learning potential. Our vision of what the school system needs is explained in detail in this plan.

The plan proposes the changes we need. With smaller class sizes, teachers will give more attention to your child and will be better able to encourage passion and promote learning and discovery. Teachers want inclusive schools that respect diversity and provide equal opportunities for all, but only increased funding for your public schools and better learning conditions through collective bargaining will get us there.

Your voices are powerful because you have direct experience with teachers and classrooms. You want the best education for your child. You know that education funding is the best possible investment in our society and in our future. Parents and teachers need to work together now, as we have done in the past, to make certain that schools are a government funding priority.

Please contact your local school trustees, write to your local paper, phone or write to your Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).

Find your MLA here. Let them know that the provincial government needs to fund education properly and reliably. Teachers know how important your voices are and we appreciate your ongoing support.