A School District 43 principal is being hailed as a hero by speaking out about school underfunding in a letter to parents.
Kevin Akins, principal of Cedar Drive elementary in Port Coquitlam, wrote an email to parents Monday that his school's supply budget has been cut 87% since 2002, with the school having just $23,000 to spend on books and desks compared to $181,000 in 2002, when fewer students attended.
"Your children go to a great school," he wrote in the letter, which was posted Thursday on Twitter and discussed on local radio. "Sometimes the quality of their school experience hides the reality of their teachers trying to do more with less through years of increasing class sizes and decreasing funding for every facet of the education system."
"The quality of what teachers do is undiminished but I can tell you that the toll of doing it is greater," wrote Akins, who said classes will be much fuller this year, reaching legislated limits, and said he worries about whether he can afford to replace a desk that was broken.
One Twitter user gave Aikins' letter a "Bravo."
But when contacted, Aikins wouldn't comment on the letter, noting that the board office is supposed to deal with the media.
His email comes as schools across the province consider next steps in the protracted labour dispute between the province and B.C.'s public school teachers. Wednesday night, the BC Teachers' Federation announced that 99.4% of teachers supported a "yes" vote to binding arbitration.
Education Minister Peter Fassbender, who earlier dismissed the province-wide vote as a "ploy," had a statement waiting when the result was announced Wednesday evening.
"As we have consistently made clear, binding arbitration would lead to unacceptable tax increases in this case," Fassbender said. "That's because the two sides remain too far apart on wages and benefits."
BCTF president Jim Iker said the government is obstructing solutions to the dispute.
"This government has said 'no' to arbitration, has tried to stall and block mediation, and has not moved on any monetary proposals in negotiations since June," Iker said.
Finance Minister Mike de Jong said the union is seeking $315 million per year more than the government is offering, including wages, benefits and a fund to reduce class size and increase special needs support.
Although widely discussed, Akins' comments aren't much different than those made by SD43 superintendent Tom Grant in May when he spoke to The Tri-City News about what the impact of $13.4 million in budget cuts would have on the school district.
Akins concluded his email by asking parents to support striking teachers: "When you drive by, give them a honk and a wave. They make magic for your children and will continue to do so under what can accurately be described as deteriorating conditions."
- with files from Tom Fletcher
