Coquitlam teachers are unhappy with what they say is interference by the provincial government on how school boards run their schools.
In response to Bill 11, the Coquitlam Teachers' Association issued a press release Friday to air its concerns about a proposal to regulate teachers' training, compel school districts to share services with other public agencies, and change the way student data is used,
"The government's omnibus bill is complex and it will take some time to analyze, but once again, it looks like they're taking aim at district administration, principals, and teachers," president Charley King stated.
Calling the Education Act reforms "a sucker punch" because of the lack of forewarning and consultation, King said the timing is particularly onerous because changes could impact school district budgets which are only now being formulated.
King also expressed concerns that while two years of consultation is planned with the BC Teachers' Federation on changes to teacher professional development, the manner in which the bill was introduced "calls into question the integrity of that process."
According to King, legislation is not needed because teachers are already engaged in professional development and are the most knowledgeable when it comes to implementing new ideas and innovative practices in the classroom.
The changes would allow the B.C. government to give itself new authority to regulate ongoing teacher training, possibly requiring completion of new programs for teachers to maintain certification.
STAYING CURRENT
Thursday Education Minister Peter Fassbender told reporters that there are currently no detailed requirements for certified teachers to stay current with new education techniques. Those requirements are to be worked out with the B.C. Teachers' Federation, which was notified only hours before changes to the School Act were introduced in the legislature Thursday.
"There is no legislated requirement for professional development, nor is there a definition of what the route to that might be and what some of those tools are," Fassbender said. "That is why it is important that we work with the teaching profession to define that moving forward, and that's what this bill allows us to do."
There is no change to the five professional development days per school year that are currently part of the BCTF contract, or any requirement in the legislation that new training be delivered during those days.
B.C. Teachers' Federation president Jim Iker said education ministry officials have assured him there will be two years of consultation before changes to professional development are imposed. Any changes "need to be properly funded and respect teachers' professional autonomy," he said.
Iker was more concerned about another change that gives the ministry authority to impose shared services arrangements on school districts. He called the move "a diversion from underfunding," after the government demanded $29 million in administrative savings from districts, many of whom say they can't find any more savings.
Fassbender said school districts will have time to develop shared service plans themselves before anything is imposed by Victoria.
NDP education critic Rob Fleming said Fassbender and the B.C. Liberals have a "centralizing impulse" toward school districts, shifting authority to the education ministry that doesn't have the capacity to make all those decisions.
The government forced all school districts into a new administration computer system that didn't work, costing $120 million, so it doesn't have the track record to lecture school districts on efficiency, Fleming said.
- with files from Tom Fletcher
