The Editor,
As a of parent a School District 43 student, I cannot help but feel discouraged by the parade of staff members who stepped up to the podium at Tuesday's budget meeting. Each told a tale that compounded the problems of the previous speaker and painted a picture of a bleak future in our public schools.
From teachers to principals, counsellors to speech pathologists, custodians to clerical workers, each shared how they were overworked due to previous cuts and how students were suffering as a result.
The truly sad part was how they tried to explain how important their remaining staff are and their pleas for exemption from impending cuts to next year's budget.
The unfortunate thing is the school district is tied to the mandated cuts from the BC Liberal government and to servicing its own debt.
At the end of the evening, the board was able to make motions and recommendations before the budget is finalized and presented for approval next week.
This was an opportunity for board members to show leadership. Any one of them could have taken up Coquitlam Teachers' Association president Charley King on his suggestion to forego their professional development (PD) budgets to the tune of a $56,000 savings. They made no motions to this end.
Earlier this year, the trustees gave themselves yet another 5% raise, following their automatic raise policy. SD43 trustees are the highest paid in the province. In 2012, they received a 16% raise and, in 2013, another 14%. This occurred while running a deficit budget of nearly $10 million and cutting jobs in every area of the district jobs from people who work directly with our children.
Still, no motions occurred at the end of meeting to forego PD funding or reduce trustee salaries in order to share in the pain felt throughout district by staff (and even the former staff).
I feel for the board, which must make these most difficult decisions around funding. I feel for trustees in deciding which of the sad stories we heard will only become worse in the coming year. But I wish they would lead by example and share in the funding cuts.
Once the budget process is complete, I hope this board begins to address the true problem and join with the other school districts and parents from around this district to speak out against the provincial government for underfunding public education.
If you want them to advocate for greater funding, I recommend you tell them so at the final budget meeting April 21 at Winslow Centre.
Larry Ryan, Coquitlam
