Since first elected in 2001, the provincial Liberals have enacted over 30 pieces of legislation and policy changes that have directly affected education, working conditions, funding, and bargaining rights. They have all had an adverse affect on the public education system in this province and the lives of teachers. Here is just a sampling:
- Bill 8—Authorizes parents to be volunteers in schools, undermining support staff.
- Bill 18—Makes education an essential service and severely limits teachers’ bargaining rights.
- Announcement of a freeze on public education funding until 2004, downloading significant costs onto school boards.
- Bill 27—Imposed the teachers’ collective agreement. In several amalgamated districts, the contract of one local was unilaterally imposed upon the other.
- Bill 28—Stripped key provisions that teachers had negotiated over many years governing class size and provision for special needs.
- Bill 34—Establishes school planning councils and district advisory councils. Enables school boards to conduct entrepreneurial activities.
- Bill 51—Restructures College of Teachers’ governing council to include government appointees and greatly extends the power of the college to implement and enforce standards of conduct of educators.
- Bill 37—Allows employers to hire children as young as 12 with nothing more than a note from home.
- Bill 19—Ensures for the future that there can be no contractual guarantees of class-size limits, services to students with special needs, or support from specialist teachers in BC schools.
- Announcement of the expansion of the supervision of learning program enhancing supervision of teachers.
- Bill 12—Imposes a collective agreement from June 2004 to June 2006 with 0% on salaries.
- Bill 33—Establishes new class-size limits, a consultation process, and expanded the provision of distributed learning.
- Bill 21—The legislation targets teachers and paves the way for a discipline and employment registry.
- Bill 20—Authorizes the appointment of Superintendents of Achievement. Requires boards to institute a literacy plan, prepare achievement contracts, and report on student achievement.
- Bill 42—The “Gag Law” imposed severe restrictions on advertising by third parties for a total of 88 days including the campaign period, and threatened harsh penalties.
Have you had enough yet?
When will they learn? May 12