The Delta School District hopes funding will accompany a deal announced this week involving B.C. teachers. The B.C. Teachers' Federation on Monday said it reached a tentative deal with the province that fully restores all of the substantive collective agreement language that was unconstitutionally stripped in 2002. The agreement came four months after a Supreme Court victory by teachers.
"The tentative agreement, if ratified, will allow the next school year to start with thousands more teachers, smaller class sizes, better class composition, and specialistteacher ratios," said BCTF president Glen Hansman. "If ratified, this agreement will mean the beginning of a new chapter in public education in B.C., one in which teachers will once again have the time to give students the individual care and attention they need and deserve.
School libraries and counselling offices will be re-opened, shop and lab classes will have safety standards restored and all classrooms will be properly supported."
Hansman noted the BCTF executive committee has endorsed the tentative agreement and is recommending ratification to members.
Delta board of education chair Laura Dixon said local officials are glad negotiations have reached a successful conclusion, however, there are some specifics around funding and implementation that are yet to come.
Trustees have been pressing to ensure that all provisions are fully funded and look forward to receiving specific commitments from the Ministry of Education, she said.
"Implementation in the Delta School District will not only take into account the newly restored class size and composition language, but also all of the new registration requests for various programs and requests for specific schools. In anticipation of this, we have already been modeling how this may impact how we enroll students at our schools," said Dixon.
The tentative agreement is still subject to a province-wide vote of BCTF members, as well as the BC Public School Employers' Association's process. BCTF members will vote March 8 to 10.
