Delta schools are becoming dirtier, unsanitary and are not well maintained. Delta Teachers' Association president Paul Steer had that to convey to the Delta board of education Tuesday evening during a pre-budget consultation meeting at the district's Ladner headquarters.
Steer said the DTA is gathering feedback from its members on school board priorities as trustees begin preparing next year's operating budget, which is expected to have another deficit. He said some of the early input tells of a troubling situation of poorly maintained schools. Concerned about even more reductions to custodial staff and a lack of proper upgrades in many facilities, teachers are painting an alarming picture of what have become shabby working conditions and a poor learning environment for students, according to Steer.
"We all know that custodial and preventative maintenance services have been cut now for many years. We also know that our school buildings are aging and are showing the wear-and-tear typical of buildings that are at or beyond the halfcentury mark," Steer told trustees.
"One way of dealing with buildings and their indoor and outdoor environments is to simply ignore these problems as they arise... the vexing thing about problems: once they've been ignored is that when they come back, they tend to be much worse and harder to solve," he said.
Steer listed problems teachers believe have been ignored, including running or constantly plugged toilets, schools that are not fully wheelchair accessible, schools that haven't seen painting of interior finishes for over a decade or more, dusty carpeting on walls installed in the 1970s, heating and cooling problems, poor security locks as well as mould, poor air quality, and rodent and insect problems. "Through no fault of the employees doing the vital work of cleaning and maintenance, Delta schools are now dirtier and less hygienic than they have been for a long, long time," Steer added.
Noting there's nothing left to cut when it comes to classroom personnel, Steer said another concern by teachers is that administration seems to be growing without showing any tangible improvements in Delta's class size and composition. "When the board adds administrative positions or raises administrative salaries when they fail to add classroom teaching positions or provide more direct teaching services for students and students with special needs, teachers begin to question the basis of these decisions."
Steer said teachers want more teaching and educational assistant support, including more learning assistant time for students who need the help. He said although Delta's enrollment is declining, the number of students with special needs is increasing.
The board also heard from former trustee Donna Burke, representing the Reach Child and Youth Development Society, who called on the board not to make further cuts to staff that help vulnerable children. Teacher Trevor Spilchen told trustees a shortage of educational assistants is impacting student learning. The board endorsed a motion Tuesday passed at a recent B.C. School Trustees Association meeting that would have staff at districts develop a document outlining a rationale for increased funding.
