Funding for new teachers a step in the right direction: Kamloops educators

“We have approximately two and a half per cent of the enrollment in the province,” said Superintendent of Schools, Alison Sidow. “According to our calculations, we should expect approximately $1.3 million, which translates to upwards of 27 teachers that we may be able to hire in the coming month in order to support better student outcomes in School District 73.”

The school district plans to start the hiring process almost immediately, with a focus on recruitment for special education, as well as math and science for secondary schools.

Before anything is finalized, the school board will have the final say. Board chair Meghan Wade says that’s only because the funding causes a change in the budget for the district.

“It would have to come to the board for a motion,” Wade said, “not the approval of what our staff and the KTTA necessarily agree on, because we have complete faith in what they do and how they do it, but by the bylaws and by the School Act, because it is funding it will have to come to the board.”

President of the Kamloops Thompson Teachers’ Association David Komljenovic says the money is a step in the right direction for resolving more than 400 collective agreement violations the union has identified within the district.

“In order to have a full implementation, we’d probably need about 60 or 70 teachers added, so you can see we’re still not quite there,” he said.

In 2002 the B.C. government removed collective agreement terms allowing teachers to bargain class size and composition.

In November the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the removal of those terms was unconstitutional.

“This is the impact of this court decision,” Komljenovic said. “The Supreme Court of Canada, by saying that this language is restored, means that there’s going to be more supports for students in the classroom, more supports for students with special needs in the classroom, and there’s going to be smaller class sizes. When we look at an education program, there’s 15 years of students that were robbed of an educational experience, and hopefully we’re past that now.”

With approximately $1.3 million heading for the Kamloops/Thompson School District, and potential for more in the future, educators are looking forward to breathing a little easier.

“We’re just pleased that the conflict is resolved and that we can move forward in a very positive way,” Sidow said.

by Jill Sperling

Funding for new teachers a step in the right direction: Kamloops educators

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