School district, partners send protest letter to ministry
The Daily News (Kamloops)
Feb 9 2010

For the first time in the history of the Kamloops-Thompson School District trustees, teachers, support staff and parents have joined forces in protest of disabling cuts to public education.

A letter symbolizing that unity was presented to trustees during a school board meeting Monday night and signed by chairman Ken Christian.

The document will be signed by Kamloops-Thompson Teachers' Association president David Komljenovic, CUPE Local 3500 president John Hall and Gisela Ruckert and Leigh-Anne Larsen of the District Parent Advisory Council before it is sent to the province and area MLAs.

"The shifting sands of finance in the 2009-2010 school year made it extremely difficult for us to operate. When we've established our budget for the year and we find that things during that year aren't held as true, it takes its toll on our system," said Christian.

He said the letter also addresses concerns about additional costs being loaded onto the school district in the coming year. These include implementing full-day kindergarten to the tune of $1.14 million, teacher salary increases costing $1.13 million and teacher pension increases worth $900,000.

Trustee Denise Harper asked the board to schedule a meeting with MLAs Kevin Krueger and Terry Lake to voice disapproval about the province's claim that education funding is at an all-time high.

The funding doesn't take into account inflation or the downloading of costs onto school districts, she said….

Komljenovic said it's shameful that Krueger and Lake haven't sided with public education.

"The last thing I've ever heard from the MLAs is we're being funded higher than ever and to suck it up," he said.

The school district is looking at a $3-million deficit during the next four years….