Since the 1960s and 1970s when I attended the public school system starting at Stanford Elementary in Parksville (I still make claim to be educated at Stanford) and my children, having suffered through the politics of the B.C. public school system in the 2000s, the quality of public education here in B.C. has not improved or changed much over the last 40 years.
Most young adults I talk to do not support the BCTF position and clearly want changes before their offspring are in the system.
Like many voters in B.C., we are small business owners or work for small businesses and we just do not understand the outrageous demands from an equal working class that believe they are more important or entitled than the rest of us who have similar skills, experience and education.
Most of us do not take home a teachers’ average salary of $72,000/year plus benefits.
The average citizen pays all their own dental, prescriptions, medical, have no extra benefit coverage for our children and spouses and certainly no pension.
Why is the BCTF too broke to pay its members strike pay and where is the money teachers paid into the strike fund over the last 30 years?
This is the disconnect the general public is having with the BCTF position.
We all voted in the last provincial election knowing this fight with the BCTF was inevitable. Now is the time to make the changes.
Education needs to be managed at the community level with a combination elected/appointed local school boards.
All school properties need to be turned over to the municipalities they are situated in.
Eighty-per-cent of school property taxes should be retained by the municipal jurisdictions with the balance used to subsidize lesser-populated areas of the province.
I predict under such a system there would be huge savings, more autonomy, higher quality education suited to each community where special needs children without question become a first priority in line with other special needs citizens in the community.
If we do not implement changes now at this crossroad the teachers union will eventually achieve their goal in gaining full control of your school system.
Brian Jenkins
Qualicum Beach
