The Editor,
Re. “TC schools shortchanged: Shirra” (The Tri-City News, Oct. 30).
It is a good first step for the School District 43 board of education to ask the question “Why isn’t the provincial government funding us to the same level as the surrounding area?” in regards to CommunityLink funding, SD43 being last of 10 districts surveyed despite being the third largest school district in B.C.
But this just the initial step.
As advocates for SD43, the school trustees should find out what the funding formula is and why SD43 has lower funding according to the formula, and have an action plan on how to increase district’s funding if it is indeed inequitable, such as making a case for specific changes to the formula or how we can make a better proposal according to the formula to increase our fundings.
If not, you can always make a request like Oliver Twist: “Please, sir, I want some more.” Without a plan, the response could be very well be “More!… Do I understand that he asked for more, after he had eaten the supper allotted by the dietary?”
I somewhat recall the scene did not end very well for little Oliver.
H.M.S. Leung, Coquitlam
