The Editor,
Re. “SD43 lags in per-student funding” (The Tri-City News, Oct. 7).
“The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states students shall receive the support required, within the general education system, to facilitate their effective education.”
On Oct. 4, the provincial government announced that it will be investing $1 million in special needs programs at independent schools.
In general, I am a big fan of investment in education but this particular investment announcement is counterintuitive when we look at the fact School District 43, along with many others, is not able to keep up with the demand for services such as mental health supports, which are growing in demand as more vulnerable youth enter the district, which is leading to hospitalizations.
In the referenced article, the acting head of the Coquitlam Teachers’ Association outlined how much of a difference even having someone to co-ordinate mental health services would make to SD43 students and teachers. According to Inclusion BC, there are “58,000 students in BC who require these supports but whose families either cannot afford private school or who are committed to an inclusive public education for their children” — and this investment goes to support a very small number of students.
I understand the argument that having private schools gives parents choice and I respect their choices. But I pay my taxes to fund public education, which is supposed to benefit the majority of the children in the province, many of whom are seeing less funding for even the most of the simple supports they need, such as meal programs. Public education needs funding so that all of our children have the opportunity to thrive, even if they were not born into the most affluent of circumstances.
The BC Liberal government announced a surplus this year and, at the end of 2015, it decided not to continue with a higher tax bracket for the province’s top earners despite B.C. having the country’s highest concentration of wealth in its top 10%. It then invests in private schools and has the nerve to say that there is not enough funding available for our public school systems?
Surely there is enough funding available to invest in all our children’s futures if we have the political will to do so.
Amy Lubik, Port Moody
