Learning Roundtable, June 11, 2008

BCTF Report on the meeting of the Learning Roundtable, June 11, 2008

BCTF: 2008 June 25
http://www.bctf.ca/IssuesInEducation.aspx?id=16102

2. Decline in specialist positions

The statistics provided by the ministry showed that the number of non-enrolling teachers had stayed about the same over the past four years. The BCTF handed out statistics that show dramatic declines in numbers of teacher-librarians, counselors, and special education and ESL teachers—going back to 2001–02 when formulas for these positions were in the collective agreement.

The Minister said that was not a useful comparison. Those were collective agreement provisions that the government had eliminated in order to give flexibility to school districts. She ignored the fact that it was budget cuts that made it impossible for districts to maintain the non-enrolling positions and the service they provide.