For the past few weeks, being the parent of public-school students in B.C. has felt like one living in a banana republic — you know, where public facilities (in this case schools) are open some of the time, but not at other times. Parents knew only a few days ahead of time which days those would be, and had to make all the necessary arrangements on the fly. Some programs went ahead on schedule; others had to be cancelled or rescheduled because of strike and/or lockout provisions.
It’s been frustrating, to say the least.
Now that it appears the school year is over for good — as Peter Fassbender and Jim Iker ride off into the sunset, chained to a negotiating table and/or spin-doctoring in front of the cameras in attempts to win public support for one side of the argument or another — British Columbians might have a chance to reflect on what’s broken with our public education bargaining system, and with the way education is funded in general.
For starters, let’s see if we can agree that the two sides in the dispute are both driven to a large degree by ideology — the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) by a belief that public education is for the public good and should be distributed equally to all who want in, based on their needs; the Liberal government by a strong belief in the Fraser Institute mentality that says competition in the education “market” is the best way to ensure that youngsters receive the best possible instruction.
This past January, the B.C. Supreme Court found that for the past 12 years the B.C. government has been negotiating in bad faith by failing to include class size and composition as part of teacher salary negotiations. The government argues that it’s appealing the court’s ruling and expects it to be overturned.
It’s against this backdrop that it has been attempting to negotiate a new deal with teachers — or at least it SAYS it’s trying. This writer isn’t so sure.
Maybe it’s time to revisit the issue of partial public funding for private schools. Brought in by Social Credit under Premier Bill Bennett in 1977, public funding is now at 50 per cent for many B.C. private schools. In an article last week in the Globe and Mail, Vancouver School Board chair Patti Bacchus questioned the practice, saying, “If you’re taking public money, should you have the right to screen who you accept into your school based on their academic performance or their ability to pay?”
Is it possible that quietly, Christy Clark and her government would like nothing better than to promote parental “choices” — i.e. private schools — as they choke off support to the public system? And if so, is that really what British Columbians want?
— David Burke
