Editor:
Last week the provincial government announced new funding: an additional $180 million was added to the Classroom Enhancement Fund (CEF), now a total of $360 million. This grant will help improve learning environments in schools on the Sunshine Coast and across B.C.
On Nov. 10, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada deliberated for about the time of an elementary school recess, then ruled in favour of the BC Teachers’ Federation. Now Christy Clark is excited about the opportunity to invest in public education?
It is deceitful to call these funds “new.” Teachers who have been working in overcrowded classrooms for the past 15 years recognize this amount as equal to funding cuts to public education made by this Liberal government year after year. A generation of B.C. students has been short-changed.
Parents protested as programs were cut and 257 public schools were closed; students with special needs went without adequate support. Damage is done.
Students were not worth investing in until the Supreme Court of Canada forced the provincial government to honour hard-fought gains and restore contract language. It feels like we were mugged, our wallets stolen, and now the thieves are offering to buy us a cup of coffee with our own money! We are not fooled.
Louise Herle, Sunshine Coast Teachers’ Association President
