To the editor;
Governments consistently make choices of how they will tax and spend depending on what they see as top priorities. The Liberal government in B.C., has not seen support for public education as a priority. In fact, it appears that privatizing education would better fit this government’s budget priorities. The move toward support for private schools is slowly eroding the confidence we have in publicly funded education. And remember that when funding is withdrawn from the school system, those monies go into government revenue, which indirectly taxes parents while they can boast of tax cuts.
When children start to school, parents are increasingly frustrated by the amount of school fees and the pressure to fund raise just for basics. If you are a parent of a child with special needs, you are in double jeopardy because of cuts to support for special education. Most school districts in the province have had to give up having librarians to fit budget limitations. And of course, there was the bill in 2002 stripping teachers of the right to bargain for working conditions. Teachers have fought this legislation through the courts until it recently reached the Supreme Court of Canada. There it only took minutes for that court to rule in favour of teachers. That process took 14 years! Most teachers today cannot even remember teaching before this unconstitutional legislation was passed.
Remember that critics of public education are looking at an institution that has been underfunded for years. If we all were better at demanding government support for that institution and working to make it better, it could come closer to meeting the expectations critics have. The functioning healthy economy is closely related to the health of its free, public education system. To prepare for facing the responsibilities of citizenship and an increasingly challenging job market, young people need consistent, stable investment in quality public education to thrive in the future. That can only happen if supporting education is seen as a top priority by our citizens and our government.
Lynette Wood
Barriere, B.C.
