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Letter: Provincial gov't should claw back Chinese money from SD43

The Editor, It appears the chair of the School District 43 board of education was intent on not missing her usual China trip. She forgot to inform the press that there actually were two trips booked for China and only one was cancelled.
Tri-City News
China trip
Trustees did not go on a Chinese government-paid trip to China as they have in past years, as in this undated photo, but the board chair, superintendent and director of marketing did go on a business trip to China in May, paid for by the international education department.SD43/FILE

The Editor,

It appears the chair of the School District 43 board of education was intent on not missing her usual China trip. She forgot to inform the press that there actually were two trips booked for China and only one was cancelled.

There has never been a time, until recent years, where the Coquitlam school trustees received so much bad publicity. Topics include:

• highest paid trustees in B.C.;

• free China trips every year;

• not available for questions;

• and relying on funding from the Chinese government to run SD43.

The scariest fact is the reliance on the relationship with China to maintain a school district.

The provincial government should consider clawing back the funds provided by China and distribute them to a needy district. How many districts are funded by more than one government?

Dave Ginter, President, CUPE Local 561