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Leadership, not legislation, says SD5 board
Last Monday (Feb. 27) the School District No. 5 Board of Education convened a special meeting to discuss the current status of provincial bargaining. The result of the meeting was unanimous support for a letter to be sent to Education Minister, George Abbott, outlining the Board of Trustee’s position on the current dispute.
According to SD5 board chair Frank Lento everyone recognizes that the bargaining process has been a challenge for governments of all political stripes for too long. Reflecting his many years of experience as both as a teacher and administrator, Lento felt that it was time to send a letter to government as a personal plea for change.
The letter points out that the quality of students’ school experience is largely determined by the relationships established with teaching staff.
“This bargaining dilemma has bruised some great relationships in our rural district,” Lento points out. “We’re concerned that a legislative resolution would result in more – not less — challenges to our district, our staff and our students.”
Lento believes that the time has come to reset the entire bargaining process, rather than continue to implement the same failed solutions.
“Our employees are losing their love, their enjoyment and their passion to teach,” wrote Lento in an appeal to the government for fairness and leadership on this issue. “Please help us.”
A copy of the letter will be available to the public on the SD5 website, www.sd5.bc.ca.
Above photo: teachers demonstrate in Kimberley. Photo by Shawn Parker
