tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post110978509073871202..comments2024-03-21T00:43:40.171-07:00Comments on Paying attention: Nothing wrong with teachers' union ads, but they may backfireUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post-1110876991331813392005-03-15T00:56:00.000-08:002005-03-15T00:56:00.000-08:00Mayencourt's always been a bit useless, so I suppo...Mayencourt's always been a bit useless, so I suppose it's a credit to get him barking...<BR/><BR/>I'm as interested in post-secondary cost increases over the past four years as grade level education. Having an educated public improves the whole of society, plus as an added bonus there's an opportunity to drain some of the educated from down south. Keeping costs down (yes, higher subsidies) and increasing funding (most of the federal increases have gone to infrastructure) for staffing and practical rooms (labs, workshops et al) to ensure we are a draw will not only increase education opportunities for our citizens, but bring a diverse and educated population to our nation. There is no down side to a smarter populace.Thursdayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13716639373048900646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post-1110038116166852052005-03-05T07:55:00.000-08:002005-03-05T07:55:00.000-08:00Take a look at the Ministry of Education service p...Take a look at the Ministry of Education service plan recently posted on the Ministry Web Site. Funding for public schools is projected to increase 4.5% between the the 2004/05-2007/08 school years. Over the same period of time funding for independent schools is projected to increase approximately 16%. Ideology is clearly driving the Liberal Agenda, somebody has to protect public education.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post-1109981641617888132005-03-04T16:14:00.000-08:002005-03-04T16:14:00.000-08:00Thanks for the more balanced commentary Paul...muc...Thanks for the more balanced commentary Paul...much appreciated as we see the voracious hype spread by the Canwest crew. I am also a teacher. I have grave concerns on where this government is taking public education ( read privatize and commercialize). It seems the teachers of BC can't do anything to either a) raise awareness of the situation, or, b) promote our profession without getting hit with the "big bad union" label. The public ( with exceptions) are all too eager to swallow the anti-BCTF, anti-teacher trollop spooned out in the last decades by a compliant media. To get to reality, let's ask parents of children to analyze whether they've noticed a difference in education since the Campbell era began? Not political pundits or single, white professional males who typically jam the telephone lines and talk shows. Yes, I have seen an incredible erosion of services in the last 4 years...but nobody believes it. All too often, some parents rely on schools as daycare, so do not promote strikes...but without strikes teachers have no teeth and the government has no will to bargain in good faith. Truly between a rock and a hard place we all are. With every attack on the teachers and the attempt to split the BCTF from its members adds to the low morale. The future of a truly free and equal public school system looks bleak. When it comes crashing down, the vociferous will howl, " How did this happen?" and....I'll bet, teachers and the BCTF will be blamed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post-1109788579824651512005-03-02T10:36:00.000-08:002005-03-02T10:36:00.000-08:00Good analysis of the intricacies of education fund...Good analysis of the intricacies of education funding. I was one of those parents who thought class size, etc. was best left out of union contracts, until we saw the results! <br /><br />B.C. has some 500,000 K-12 students, plus ?? university students, each of whom has a parent or two, grandparents, etc., many of whom are concerned about the impacts they've seen first-hand. <br /><br />The "union" card is usually a sure bet for a good segment of the voting population, but concerns about our children or grandchildren will naturally take precedence. When the BCTF are the only ones speaking up to voice our concerns, it puts unions in a whole new light!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com