Your Childrens Education

[Shane]

I heard if you don't have a Wal-Mart, They are going to shut down local school and local Hospital...
Makes it easier for teh wizard study.... No Wal-Mart no health, no education... :lol:  

[Chris]

well Matt i am not saying that it is JUST government employees, I was referring to the government track record, most collective agreements have stipulations regarding cost of living, and I personally agree that if you work hard be it union or not and you can prove yourself that you deserve more money then so be it, performance based pay is the way it should be. I dont see why my Mom should have to have 2 jobs when she already worked 4 - 12 hour shifts in surrey emergency each week, should that not be enough?

Unions need to change but so does everyone else.

[Billyisgr8]

Jason we live in an area that is dwindling with school sizes,  You check back on school records and you will see school size is going down, the gov't has to do what it needs to do to to keep a school running. The elementry school 10 min from here in Malakwa has 7 grade 7's and 35 total students from K to grade 6.  The grade 7's are bussed to our school here now ( is it worth it to keep this school open?).  Our elementry school in Sicamous has gone from 480 students  4 years ago to 230 now.  This is huge, and I'm sure 1 day it will  have less than 50 kids once all the retire's have moved here.

My brother inlaw has been a private christian school teacher at Valley Christian  for 15 years and makes $36,000 a year. He loves his job and does not complain.  Yes my sister has to work too. They accept that.

What's the unions beef about then?

The bottom line is, if you work for any union you are paid better than the same position at a non union job.  Stop complaining about money.  The grass is always greener on the other side of the union fence.

Kevin

[Type2Meister]

Now Matt, don't get me wrong, I'm no huge pro union person either.  It just happens when you become a public school teacher in BC you must belong to the BCTF...of course there are pros and cons to that.

When I said I'm out on the picket lines 'working' for free, I guess I meant 'volunteering' my time for free.  I wasn't really counting on the $50 a day, but it would have helped!  I'll still be out there anyways, 'representing'.


 

[slammedbus]

Kevin.....you need to read the others posts. The beef is not with the money. It is about classroom conditions. We took zero percent raises to protect this. Now they have been cut too. The moneys from 2000 were used towards this and not a raise....you said that it was eaten up by wages......maybe for more support staff and otherwise but it sure as hell didn't end up in the teachers pocket. This fight is for classroom conditions NOT wages.

I have a friend that is looking at teaching at MEI and yes the money is a little less but the classroom environment is better. More like what public education HAD. Here is a cut and paste article that I found to prove this. www.bctechersforkids.com

In 1998, B.C. teachers accepted another two years of frozen pay, followed by a single two-per-cent increase, so the B.C. government could lower class sizes in Kindergarten and Grades 1, 2 and 3.

For children in the all-important early grades, it was a major boost to their education. But for teachers, it meant spending three more years without a raise.

It

[Billyisgr8]

I agree class size is what needs changing.   In 2000 the extra money was for more teachers, not wages.  Did more teachers get hired to reduce class size?

Here is another read on gov't facts

http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2...0087-000911.htm

If the average teacher pay is $64,000 there must be many longtime teachers ready to retire.

District funding is based on district enrolment, more kids = more money less kids = less money, of course there would be cuts then to the budget if enrolment is down.  Salmon arm is part of a larger district, if all the outlying comunity schools decline the budget will be decreasing, so yes some districts had cuts based on enrolement..  Sicamous will not grow it will keep declining as more baby boomers are retiring here.

Kevin

[Bubba]

When the BCTF and the teachers say that this is not about the money, that this is for the kids, it puts teachers in a paradox.

There are many stakeholders in the education system including the students, teachers, parents, education facilitators, government, etc.  

When I heare Ginny Sims and teachers spout the nonsense that this is all about the kids, I can only think that somehow they have placed themselves as the SOLE advocates for the kids.  What's worse, is the union has been able to bully free thinking teachers into spouting thier rhetoric.

Herein lies the paradox.  The BCTF has shunned any suggestion that brings all groups into the mix in order to improve the education system.  By thier actions, they have placed themselves as the sole advocates for the students, and not only turned it into a politicized anti-government stalemate, they have turned against the very stakeholders that they are advocating for.

Who the *%@ said that the BCTF could advocate for my kids?  I can't vote those buggers out if they go loonie tunes, whereas I can vote against the government if I don't like what they are doing.

Surprise surprise...the BCFED is now wading into this threatening  public sector walkouts.

Have any of you had enough of this crap yet?

The government is wrong for cutting the budgets of the school boards by not funding the teacher's raises previously.  They are wrong for not funding books and study materials and forcing schools to fundraise for the basics needs of kids.  They are wrong for integrating special needs and esl kids into the classrooms without proper support.  Everyone is entitled to cost of living allowance increases as a minimum (although Pointblank might not agree with me).

But what the teachers have done under the direction of the BCTF is INSANE.

I have a lot of respect for teachers.  In many other countries teachers are amongst the highest in societal rank and respect because of the service they perform.  The same can be said for doctors, nurses, fireman, and police to name a few.

When they start behaving like thugs and lawbreaker, they erode that respect.

Go ahead, flame away.

Csaba

 

[slammedbus]

WELL SAID BUBBA!!!  I agree with what you said.
 

[Shane]

OK Bubba, so how do the teachers go about it then? Tell me...Then I will Flame away...

[slammedbus]

That is where the trouble lies. Unless I put on the sign with the masses, the voice won't be heard (however misrepresented it is the main point is there).....I personally can not teach with the present conditions and will probably hand my keys in long before retirement time in fear of a kid getting hurt and my ass being on the line for an over crowded shop....it's too much.

[Mike Scott]

OK, good points everyone. It's the nicest day of the fall, step away from the keyboards and go work on your cars

[slammedbus]

OK, good points everyone. It's the nicest day of the fall, step away from the keyboards and go work on your cars

Your just pissed cause I can't make a kid paint the last panels for your car till this is all over....  

[blueberry]

It's not all about the money.  Anybody who doesn't get that doesn't really understand what it is like in the schools today. Upcountry enrollment may be dropping but in Surrey our student population is growing by 1500 - 2000 each year for the last several years. There's never enough of anything (texts, teachers, time etc. ). Sure I'd like a raise - but I'd be happy with special ed services raised to the level they were just 4 years ago. Nobody I know wants to be out - but nobody I know can come up with another way to get our point across to the powers that be.  Run the province like a business - but a well run business. It is not good business to not support or service your \"clients\" properly ( why have private schools got so busy lately ). It is not good business to make your employees responsible for a job without providing adequate materials or time to do the job.
Anyhow - like the man said - enjoy the day & evening.

[GRK]

It's not all about the money.  Anybody who doesn't get that doesn't really understand what it is like in the schools today. Upcountry enrollment may be dropping but in Surrey our student population is growing by 1500 - 2000 each year for the last several years. There's never enough of anything (texts, teachers, time etc. ). Sure I'd like a raise - but I'd be happy with special ed services raised to the level they were just 4 years ago. Nobody I know wants to be out - but nobody I know can come up with another way to get our point across to the powers that be.  Run the province like a business - but a well run business. It is not good business to not support or service your \"clients\" properly ( why have private schools got so busy lately ). It is not good business to make your employees responsible for a job without providing adequate materials or time to do the job.
Anyhow - like the man said - enjoy the day & evening.

Totaly agree! I am an SEA for the Surrey district Hours for special needs being cut enrolment of special needs up, not to mention ESL, Lst, Bases, ADHD, Autisti diagnosis. Classes with all of these needs and maybe one support worker to help the teacher with an already overloaded class.

Population growing schools being built and before they open Districts are ordering portables . Pointblank how many portables you moved in Surrey alone this year, let alone other schools. How many portables do you think are in Surrey because of the growing population. The old West whalley school had portables for gyms it was replaced by a new school with what 6 portables on site? Yes there are some districts with decreasing population but Surrey and others Districts in the lower mainland  can't keep up to the growing student population.

Billyisrg8 your right moneys did go to more new teachers but that didn't even cover the increased population and didn't even address the class's that were already full.

Yes the strike is illegal . An arbitrator after what 35 -36 meetings was never offered.  Vince Ready is available and Campbell won't use him. Instead the goverment decided that to get what they want they'd just change the law to something that no other Province in Canada has and suits their needs. So does this mean every one is supposed to role over and play dead, suck it up, or stand up and say something has to change with the system?

[Shane]

Surrey added 23 portabels this year plus they built 4 new ones, Surrey has about 350 portables
Langley also added 8  and Richmond ,North Vancouver, Ft St John, Delta, Abbotsford all added portables

[GRK]

Surrey added 23 portabels this year plus they built 4 new ones, Surrey has about 350 portables
Langley also added 8  and Richmond ,North Vancouver, Ft St John, Delta, Abbotsford all added portables

Thanks for the info.
How's all this effecting you? All Ok? Call sometime.

[Shane]

No effect on me since all the moving for schools is done. I will give you a call    

[slammedbus]

Surrey added 23 portabels this year plus they built 4 new ones, Surrey has about 350 portables
Langley also added 8  and Richmond ,North Vancouver, Ft St John, Delta, Abbotsford all added portables

Salmon arm added 1.  :unsure: