Im so pleased. Mr. Leonard Krog, MLA, had this great (personally signed-Hallelujah) note for me in my email inbox: Dear Ms. Metcalfe, Thank you for your email and my apologies for the form letter response but the volume of mail on this issue is overwhelming. I want to disclose my bias in that my late mother was a public school teacher, my wife taught for 4 years in the 70’s in the public school system and her sister recently retired after over 30 years in the public school system. I owe whatever success I have enjoyed personally in life to the public education system that gave me incredible opportunities. I share your concerns about the current disruption in our schools, and the impact of this disruption on hundreds of thousands of kids, their families, and on our teachers who provide a first-rate public education for our kids. New Democrat MLAs believe B.C.’s kids, parents and teachers deserve better than what they’re getting from the B.C. Liberal government and we have been working inside the legislature and out in their communities on your behalf. Read more here: bit.ly/1wu6ebC New Democrat Leader John Horgan, Education Critic Rob Fleming and many other MLAs have been visiting and supporting teachers at our schools to hear their concerns. I have personally spoke to both teachers and CUPE members who were on the picket line at various schools in our community. The NDP Official Opposition brought tough questions to Premier Christy Clark and Education Minister Fassbender in the legislature. View here: bit.ly/1pb8MXV And we’ve been vocal in the media about the need for the Liberal government to step up and negotiate a fair deal. Read more here: bit.ly/1oh3Z7R and listen here: bit.ly/1l9KIUv At a time when leadership is needed to bring both sides in this dispute together to achieve a respectful settlement, the B.C. Liberal government has continued to play political games with our children’s education. Premier Clark has been a constant factor in this government’s decade of conflict with teachers in B.C. As education minister in 2002, she passed a law that led to larger classes and less support for students with special needs. The B.C. Supreme Court struck down this law in 2011, and when the Liberal government introduced virtually identical legislation in 2012, the court struck that down as unconstitutional as well. In the court ruling released earlier this year, the judge chastised the government for bargaining in bad faith and for attempting to provoke a full-scale strike in B.C. schools. Regrettably, recent attempts to provoke teachers and escalate tensions show the B.C. Liberals have not changed their tactics. Quality public education depends on stability in our schools and our collective willingness to support it appropriately. That’s why New Democrat MLAs are urging the government to turn the page on 12 years of political games that put kids last, and reach a negotiated settlement with B.C. teachers. Again, my apologies for the form response, but please feel free to contact my office either by email or telephone if I have not addressed your concern with appropriate specificity. News Release Update: bit.ly/SWJv7W Sincerely, LEONARD KROG, MLA NANAIMO
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 01:14:00 +0000
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