Editor’s note: This is a letter to B.C. Education Minister Peter Fassbender. It was copied to the Squamish Chief for publication.
I am the parent of two children who attend public schools in Squamish. (They are in Grades 3 and 5.) Today, of course, they are at home.
As a parent, I am concerned that the labour conflict between the Liberal government and the BCTF has resulted in strikes and lockouts. As a member of the civic and political community of British Columbia, I am deeply worried by the government’s refusal to take education seriously; as a working person, I am outraged by the contempt for teachers and workers that your stance evinces.
The Liberal Party’s apparent hostility to public education is baffling. Perhaps not surprisingly, the vast majority of parents to whom I have spoken share my dismay at the Liberal position on education. More surprisingly, and something that ought to give you and the premier pause, is that an overwhelming majority of non-parents is also upset by your position. Even people who do not have children understand that public education is crucial to the wellbeing of the province. Public schools educate most of our children. They provide the grounding for a skilled workforce and an interesting and intellectually diverse province. We all understand that good schools depend on good teachers. Attracting good teachers requires good working conditions.
As a parent, I ask you to take a more flexible, more generous, and more productive stance in the negotiations. Teachers matter. And our children are worth the investment.
André Lambelet
Brackendale
