The Delta school board is calling on both sides of the teachers' contract dispute to work harder to get a deal done.
At the board of education's meeting Tuesday, chair Laura Dixon read a letter that will be sent to Education Minister Peter Fassbender and B.C. Teachers' Federation president Jim Iker, urging them to get a negotiated settlement soon, saying the end of term for students must not be compromised.
Echoing a similar call made last week by B.C. School Trustees Association president Teresa Rezansoff, the Delta school board's call comes as the teachers' union Tuesday evening announced that an overwhelming majority of members voted in favour of escalating their job action to a full-blown strike. It could mean all schools will be shut as early as Monday.
Dixon said that if an agreement has not been achieved by the end of this month, both parties must continue bargaining during the summer.
"Through our Delta school district visioning process, a shared Delta School District Vision was developed to guide the future of education in the school district. Staff in Delta have been working on some incredibly important and exciting initiatives to help us achieve that vision. We have serious concerns that continued instability in the system could negatively impact the exceptional work being done by staff in the Delta school district," she said.
Teachers voted 86 per cent in favour of a full-scale strike, but 72 hours' strike notice is required for a walkout.
Both the BCTF and Fassbender said they still want to reach a deal at the table, ideally before the end of June.
Premier Christy Clark yesterday said it's still possible for the province to get a negotiated deal. She said she is ready to bring in a mediator, but only if the two sides get closer in their positions.
In the meantime, Delta schools will be shut down tomorrow as part of the ongoing rotating strikes.
