The BC Teachers’ Federation’s ongoing battle with the Province of BC finally ended this morning in Canadian Supreme Court.
The BCTF can again negotiate class size and composition.
School District 57 Chair Tony Cable is still sorting through the details but knows this his a huge win for staff and students.
“Usually, when we have a student that has problems, we’re never able to give full-time help or three-quarters help so with additional funding, hopefully, there will be more time available for some of our special needs students.”
The legal battle began in 2002 when the Province stripped the BCTF of its right to bargain class sizes and composition. Today’s decision means the language from the 2002 contract will be restored, and BC schools will have smaller better teacher-student ratios, more support for special needs students, and extra academic help.
“If this comes to pass, the way it should, then it’s a good news story for parents and student because there will be more supports in the school and more help for all of our students,” Cable says.
According to Statistics Canada, BC is last on seven key measures of education funding, and BC’s current funding is $1,000 less per-student than Canada’s average.