The Editor,
Re. "$40/day if BCTF strike drags on" (The Tri-City News, Aug. 1).
I listened as Finance Minister Mike de Jong talked about the money provided to allow parents to seek out educational programs, tutoring or other support for their children not attending public schools because of the strike. Oh, yes, if this is needed for daycare, that's OK too.
So if the government is offering this subsidy to parents in lieu of a formal education, why just children 12 and under? I'm left wondering why not high school students, who are just as affected, if not more, in terms of the academic demands and crunch that will happen if the school year is condensed due to this ongoing dispute?
If you really mean daycare costs are being subsidized, I guess that means $1,200/day minus overhead is what teachers should be earning for the 30 students in their charge each day? Oops, I forgot the additional costs for special needs support. I'm sure parents will be able to find daycare for their exceptional needs children on $40 a day. Good luck!
Tammy Wirick, Coquitlam
diverting $$
The Editor,
This latest ill-conceived ploy by the provincial government is mind-boggling in its stupidity. These payouts, which will be taxed, will end up diverting provincial education dollars into federal coffers.
And parents of students over 13 must be fuming as their students are just as deserving of a quality education as younger students, yet money that could be used to improve conditions in the school will be spent to buy support and votes for Premier Christy Clark's government.
The most needy families, which often don't own computers or have equal access to information, are least likely to register for these payouts.
It is clear that there is no will on the part of the government to reach a deal with teachers. The sticking points in this dispute are clearly not salary or benefits, as teachers have already given up way more money than they stand to gain. This government refuses to sign an agreement that addresses its own illegal actions of contract stripping and the resulting degradation of conditions in classrooms across the province. Shame on them!
J. Wiltshire,
Port Coquitlam
