Concerned parties on cutbacks
Penticton Herald
Sep 30 2009
Opinion

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a joint letter sent to Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Education and Colin Hansen, Minister of Finance.

Dear Ministers:

In April 2009, the Board of Education of School District No. 67 addressed a financial shortfall of $1.7 million for the 2009-2010 school year; a shortfall created by the provincial under funding of the actual, continuing financial demands of our organization. At this time the Board expressed its displeasure with the government for not full funding employee contract settlements, employee benefit costs and other inflationary cost pressures.

During the budget process in the spring, our Board implemented an onerous budget development process, making tough decisions in consultation with our partner groups. We believed we had a plan…..

Such funding cuts have a "human cost" in our communities. Layoffs are being implemented as a result of the loss of AFG funding, meaning eight families have lost their income and are now worrying about their futures. The morale of PACS and coaches are deflated. These two groups have spent countless hours with children, working hard to provide services and programs that often meet the needs of some of our most vulnerable children.

As well, the effects of such last minute, arbitrary fiscal changes mitigate against careful planning, undermining the Board's ability to make decisions that are efficient and in the best interests of our children. Moreover, this lack of consultation undermines the trust between the board and the government. Such actions absorb the precious time of employees whose time would be better spent on the educational leadership needed to provide excellent public education to the children of our province. We vigorously protest the growing provincial practice of unilaterally changing the rules whenever it pleases. Ultimately, the lack of consultation and chronic under funding damages our most precious institution - public education.

The Board of Education of School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha), with the support of our partner groups urges the government to reconsider the decisions to reduce funding of public education and restore these services.

Larry Little, Chair, School District No. 67; Katie Hicks, President, OSPVPA; Zoe Magnus, President, CUPE, Local 523; Kevin Epp, President, OSTA; Darryl Clarke, Chair, DPAC