The school year got off to a normal start for children in B.C.’s private schools Tuesday morning. At 8:30 a.m. the parking lot at St. Patrick’s School was packed with parents dropping off sleepy-eyed kids in school uniforms and summer tans.
The Catholic school hosts an annual outdoor coffee meet-up for parents on the first day of classes, when students attend for a half-day. In attendance was new superintendent Bev Pulyk, who said there has been a slight increase in interest in the Island’s six Catholic private schools since the strike began.
“We’ve certainly had more phone calls, said Pulyk. “I explain to them that we’re a faith-based school in the Catholic tradition.”
Pulyk said that while she believes the majority of students are from Catholic or Christian families there are some who chose the school for other reasons.
“The academic curriculum is the same as public school,” she said. “On top of a great education, we look at how we can help children on their spiritual journey as well.”
Pulyk said they are praying for their teacher colleagues in public schools and for the strike to be resolved.
Students at other private schools, including St. Michaels University School, are beginning classes today or Thursday. St. Michaels, with an enrolment of 920 students for 2014-15, has seen inquiries about admissions rise during the teachers’ strike.
“Choosing to go to an independent school is a long-term commitment for a lot of people, because they don’t just want to shift their kids suddenly,” said St. Michaels spokeswoman Laura Authier.
“What we’re seeing is that maybe the strike is an impetus for people who have been thinking about [private school] for a long time, to enrol, but it’s not driving people to enrol in independent school necessarily.”
Cost can be an issue. Annual tuition for day students from B.C. at St. Michaels ranges from $15,930 for those in kindergarten to Grade 5, to $19,790 for high school students.
At Island Catholic Schools, annual cost for a child of a parish supporter (Catholic church member) is $4,476 per year at St. Patrick’s and St. Joseph’s elementary schools, and $5,880 at St. Andrew’s High School. For non-parish supporters, the fees are $5,448 at St. Patrick’s and St. Joseph’s, and $7,608 at St. Andrew’s.
Yukari Peerless Davidson has two school-age children, one in public school and one in private.
“The strike won’t affect me much because I work from home,” said Peerless Davidson, who runs her own communications business. But her ex-husband, and children’s father, works in an office. “I’m not sure what he’ll do, maybe take advantage of one of the camps.”
Peerless Davidson’s eldest son is in Grade 12 at St. Michaels University School, while her youngest son was set to start Grade 1 at Willows Elementary.
She said the reason for having them in separate school systems is mostly financial.
“For younger kids, it doesn’t matter as much. They are happy and learning,” she said. They switched her older son from public to private around middle school, when academics intensified. “We might do that again. A lot of parents are doing this.”
Peerless Davidson said there was a teachers’ strike when her eldest son made the switch to private school.
“I remember at the time thinking ‘Thank goodness we switched,’ ” she said.
— with files from Jeff Bell
