[Sent as comment to Globe & Mail to their story — B.C.’s closed schools leave parents stranded — http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bcs-closed-schools-leave-parents-stranded/article20295700/#dashboard/follows/ ]
APPETITE FOR MAJOR STRUCTURAL CHANGE IS GROWING EXPONENTIALLY
While the mediator in BC’s troubled teacher negotiations, Vince Ready, says there is little appetite by the two parties to settle, there is however a remarkable “appetite” for fundamental reforms as to how education is to be obtained.
From an earlier G&M story we learn that “Since teachers won the right to collective bargaining in 1987 there have been 52 strikes, a series of controversial legislation, bitter court battles and only a single new contract signed without the aid of strikes or legislation.” (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/history-of-bitterness-between-bcs-teachers-and-governments/article20285359/#dashboard/follows/)
Some are projecting the teacher strike will last a whole semester. The BCTF is being counseled by at least one lawyer to “wait-out” the government. Looks like neither side will be the first to blink for a l-o-n-g time!
Meanwhile with the $40 day voucher plan parents are finding, or will find, ways to spend that money on educational opportunities. Also, the parents, individually, and through their provincial group, BCCPAC, are providing more noise in vying for voice in bargaining and in apportioning of special needs funds. Parent pushback is a reality.
Also, the intellectual food is there for people to really examine how the current industrial structure of bargaining and the monopoly delivery of schooling are dysfunctional. A paper by a labor relations scholar opens up the matter, that in future, governments will be inclined to “steering, not rowing the boat” and that the BCTF, which has “structured reality” in their favor is likely to be posing formidable challenges to provincial governments, whatever their political orientation” for a very long time to come.
http://lltjournal.ca/index.php/llt/article/view/5645/6508
Time to convene some serious discussions about fundamental change, eh?