Students deserve better

MLA Report

By Carole James

Our public education system plays a vital role in growing and sustaining a healthy society. It helps us to raise strong, active, thoughtful, engaged citizens who seize the opportunity to reach towards their potential and succeed in life.

Sadly, here in BC, we have a government and a Premier that, for years now, seem more intent on picking fights with teachers and schools than strengthening such a critical part of our society. At the conclusion of the longest education dispute in B.C.’s history, the Premier said it was time to rebuild the relationships.

Such talk gave reason for hope, but words appear to be just words. Mere months after that huge disruption to the lives of children, families and educators, the government has introduced Bill 11, the Education Statutes Amendment Act. It is a piece of legislation that gives the province the authority to force boards to cut budgets, close schools and sell off assets.

This is not the way to nurture a strong society or a healthy economy. Government should be investing in education and treating those who run the system with respect. By building real partnerships, we all gain.

But instead this government wants to claw more fees out of parents while delivering less education in the classroom. Premier Christy Clark and the Liberals are taking $29 million dollars out of the K-12 system this year and $54 million by the end of next year.

Each one of those dollars removed will hurt our children. The premier says this money can be cut out of administration, and that these tens of millions of dollars each year are “low-hanging fruit.” After years of cuts, there is no more “low-hanging fruit,” and to say so is to insult the staff and trustees who have worked so very hard to be prudent with public resources.

In our community, this funding reduction will mean budget cuts of up to $1.8 million. The Greater Victoria School District says it cannot deliver on these cuts without impacting the classroom.

School boards around the province are also reeling from increased fees and costs, like the April 1 hike in B.C. Hydro rates. According to figures from the B.C. School Trustees’ Association, the increase in Hydro rates cost school boards $4,118,000 last year, accumulated to $6,877,060 this year, and nearly $30 million over five years.

All of this means school boards are going to have to make tough choices based on the problems the government has dumped into their laps. It’s a terrible way to expect our school boards to function, and it’s simply not smart or sustainable.

We need a government that believes in our children and in a strong future. That means investing in our public schools. To do otherwise is to fail.

As always, I appreciate hearing your views on this topic and any others of interest to you and your family. Please contact me at: 

1084 Fort Street
Victoria, BC V8V 3K4
Phone: 250 952-4211
Carole.James.mla@leg.bc.ca
www.carolejamesmla.ca