The My Little Pony bookpack slung over his camouflage fatigues gave Adam Foley a slightly odd appearance as he herded his daughters into strike camp at the Juan de Fuca rec centre Tuesday.
But then these are odd times, the latest stage of the 100 Years War between the province and B.C.’s teachers’ union having strayed from what had been a predictable script.
Historically, the government has used a legislative sledgehammer to end education disputes before too many bystanders are caught in the crossfire. But Tuesday — what was supposed to be back-to-school day in the public system — offered jarring proof to more than half a million students and their parents that this time it’s different.
“I have to be at work at 7 and it’s now 8:30,” said Foley as he hustled his five- and 11-year-olds out of the car at the Colwood facility. The girls are among 84 kids taking part in day programs hastily added to West Shore Parks and Recreation’s schedule. Camp is costing Foley and his wife, both in the military, about $700 for two weeks. That roughly matches the $40-per-child-per-day that parents will eventually get from the province, but the disruption to family life — not to mention the girls’ education — is a pain. “It’s just a really big inconvenience for us,” Foley said.
His story was repeated across the city as families scrambled to cope. Victoria city council candidate Riga Godron is considering abandoning her campaign; her three-year-old’s school-based daycare has been cancelled, as has her two older children’s out-of-school care. Hilary Potosnak, a parent of two children at Saanich’s Braefoot Elementary, said her family might not have moved to B.C. in January had they known what they know now. “I guess we’re going to start home-schooling,” said Victoria’s Rebecca Hogg, the mother of a boy at Central Middle School and a girl at Sir James Douglas, both of whom want to be studying in the classroom, not the living room.
A morning “Christy’s Classroom” rally on the legislature lawn drew several hundred teachers, parents, students and union members. Peter Fassbender might be the education minister, but placards declaring “Christy Clark is a bully,” “Dear Christy, make public school a place where you would send your child” and “Christy Clark’s kid is in private school. Where are your kids today?” put the focus on the premier.
Glen Hansman, first vice-president of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation, said negotiations are hung up over the amount of money the government is willing to put into class size and composition. The union also wants the employer to abandon a proposed contract clause that would let the province ignore any future court decision on classroom conditions. “If they could see their way to that, we could get it wrapped up this week,” Hansman said. The other side replies that even the B.C. Supreme Court says class size and composition should be bargained, not carved in stone by the court.
Tracy Humphreys brought apples, popcorn and other snacks to feed the legislature crowd. The mother of special-needs children ages eight, 11 and 20, she backs what she sees as the teachers’ fight against the erosion of the system. Support for special-needs students has declined dramatically in the past dozen years, she said. “It’s just so bad now.”
Others aren’t sure whom to blame. An Angus Reid Global poll released last week showed the public evenly split, with the teachers and the government each backed by more than a third of respondents. A quarter supported neither side. There’s disbelief that, like a couple of students who had all week to complete an assignment but didn’t start cramming until Sunday night, the two sides waited until last week to try to end a strike that has now bookended summer.
Better believe it, though: Stiffened by a sense of self-righteousness, both union and government say they don’t want a legislated end to this fight. There’s no end in sight to the 100 Years War.
