By Erin Williams and Julia Crucil
Revelstoke Teachers’ Association
Revelstoke teachers want to express our sincere appreciation for the outpouring of support we have received from the people of Revelstoke. Parents, students, and community members have demonstrated ongoing encouragement through joining us on the picket lines, through heartfelt words as we walk through the grocery store or meet on the street, and through waves of support as we stood on Victoria Road last Friday.
Also, we would like to sincerely thank all the other unions for all their moral and financial support. It has been overwhelming and uplifting.
As teachers, we really want to be in our classrooms teaching, sharing our passion with our students and encouraging them to grow into responsible, involved members of our community. For us, being on the picket line is not the way we wanted to be starting a new school year.
This strike by BC teachers is about standing up for our kids, our classrooms, and the future of public education and democracy in BC. Concerns about class size and composition, chronic under-funding, and the pending court appeal by the government are the real reasons teachers are on strike. Teachers truly care about the quality of education their students receive. We need a strong public education system that works for every student because all our kids are worth it. At this stage, we are hoping for binding arbitration to settle the dispute and would like to allow the courts to decide issues of law. We want everyone back in classrooms.
What can frustrated parents do?
Write a letter to concerned parties:
- Premier Christy Clark (premier@gov.bc.ca);
- Education Minister Peter Fassbender (peter.fassbender.mla@leg.bc.ca);
- Opposition leader John Horgan (john.horgan.mla@leg.bc.ca);
- Rob Fleming, Opposition Education Critic (rob.fleming.mla@leg.bc.ca); and
- Your MLA, Norm MacDonald (norm.macdonald.mla@leg.bc.ca).
Call or write your school trustees:
| Alan Chell – Chairman | 250-837-2965 |
| Bryan Dubasov | 250-837-6385 |
| Mauro Morrone | 250-837-7422 |
| Jeff Nicholson | 250-837-6803 |
| Elmer Rorstad | 250-837-4687 |
You can also register your opinions by:
- Attending the school board meeting on Wednesday, September 17, at 5 pm;
- Writing letters to your local newspapers — The Revelstoke Current and the Revelstoke Times Review;
- Contacting your District Parent Advisory Council – Britt Hunchak, Chairwoman;
- Educating yourself on all sides of the issue at the BCTF website https://www.bctf.ca/ or at BC Parent Info from the BC Ministry of Education http://bcparentinfo.ca/;
- Joining or liking the Facebook sites Revelstoke for Public Education, BC voters supporting BC teachers and public education; and
- By urging your friends and neighbours to do the same.
