PRIVATIZATION: Paranoid or Perceptive?

“You can’t get people to drop something that works, unless you make it stop working.” – Corky Evans (2009)

When teachers express concern about privatization of education services, we hear: “Come on now...you teachers are just paranoid.  Where’s the proof?”

We all know that the Liberal government believes in a free market ideology.  That ideology drives their privatization agenda.  We have seen this agenda in the various attempts at P3s, the privatization of important hospital services and in the undermining of BC Hydro while at the same time promoting private Run of the River projects.

Public Education is not immune to that ideology.  The biggest difference is that because public education is so important to so many people, the government must be very careful about not just privatizing openly.  They have to do so by stealth.

How do they do that? The privatization of public education is being facilitated by underfunding and the accountability agenda.  Both are by design and are intended specifically to undermine public confidence in the public education system, over time.

“You can’t get people to drop something that works, unless you make it stop working.” – Corky Evans (2009)

The Liberal government believes that private is better and here is how they have gone about trying to “convince” the public.

1.       First, underfund.  If you withhold funding, important services are lost and if important services are lost, parents become dissatisfied with the public system.  It is easy, for the government, once this happens, to implement “accountability measures. Those with enough money might bail on the public system at this point.

2.       Implement the Accountability agenda

a.       Keep the accountability demands as far away from the government as possible.  Focus all accountability on the teachers

b.      Bring in “Accountability Contracts” (which were quickly changed to “achievement contracts" in B.C.) Insist on standardization of goals and demand loads and loads of data.  Design goals so that success is near impossible.  That way more standardized tests can be justified.

c.       Standardized tests – out of the demand for data comes standardized tests (FSAs, Grade 10 and 11 exams, a myriad of district wide tests).

d.      Ranking of Schools – standardized testing then gives rise to the ranking of schools. These rankings undermine public confidence and seriously undermine teacher and student morale.  The public calls for more standardization in the classroom so that the kids can do better on the standardized tests.

e.      Standardization of education, results in a loss of autonomy for teachers and with the loss of autonomy, the education experience of students is diminished. Once the educational experience is diminished (i.e. narrowing curriculum, scripted lessons), private options look more attractive.  Throw in public funding for private schools and the ability for full funding for private distributed learning and soon the public system is a shell of its former self.

When you consider the pattern established by past practice and you look at what is happening in the U.S.  with private charter schools, I think you can dismiss paranoia and say ...”you teachers are so perceptive.”

Education before incarceration

On Feb. 6, 2012 the Liberal government bragged that the new prison near Oliver BC would produce 240 full time jobs.  Hold on...is this something to brag about?  Wouldn't it be more appropriate, in a time when the crime rate has decreased,  to brag that there will be 240 more teaching jobs, or 1000 more?  That would be something to brag about.  But when do we ever hear that?  When it comes to education, it is more likely that we hear about cuts to teachers and resources.

Christy Clark has the gall to say that this prison will help families and will help schools thrive. Families will be attracted to the region. She goes on to say that she hopes that a prison in the community will change the statistics of Aboriginal incarceration in the country. 

Whaaaat? 

These statements are just mind-boggling coming from a government that has cut the education budget by nearly $3 billion in the last 10 years. Classes are overcrowded and services to special needs are lacking. Yet Ms. Clark thinks building a prison is what it will take to make schools thrive.  She thinks building a prison on aboriginal property near Oliver will keep aboriginal people out of prison in this country. 

Whaaaat?

Mark Twain once said, "Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own tail. It won't fatten the dog."

It is time to get our priorities straight.  We need to support schools, rather than build more prisons.  Education needs to be a priority over incarceration.

In Praise of Cowichan Valley Board of Trustees (Updated)

In Praise of Cowichan Valley Board of Trustees (Updated)

On May 17 in Janet Steffenhagen's blog George Abbott, in response to the approved restoration budget of Cowichan Valley School Board, predicted there will be “a miraculous turn around” by the board before the June 30 deadline for school districts to submit their budgets and went on to threaten the board with relief from their duties.   Too bad George Abbott, you were wrong, the Cowichan Valley Board has submitted their restoration budget and I applaud them for doing so. http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Education/2012/05/31/BCTF-supports-Cowichan-Valley-restoration-budget/
Support is rolling in, from around the province, on the facebook page "The Budget begins with you."
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Budget-Begins-With-You/367788029917203

The Cowichan Valley board is doing what any board should be doing.  They have been elected to be stewards of the education system in their constituency and that is exactly what they are doing.  They have the support of their constituents including  the Cowichan Tribes, the largest First Nations band in British Columbia, whose council has passed a motion of support for the budget. They were elected on a platform that they would submit a restoration budget and to do anything different would be a breach of that promise to the community.

For ten years, boards across BC have been complying with the order to submit a balanced budget, without acknowledgement, through any effective action, of the damage that is being done to their schools and the children who attend those schools.  To ignore that damage makes boards complicit in the destruction of the education system that our provincial government seems so intent on creating. 

Eden Haythornthwaite, in her statement to the "Tyee" online news source said, " If we just continue to do it, what good are we to the community? We're no good. We're just a beard for the ministry." I couldn't agree more.  The time has come.  Enough is enough.  Thank you Cowichan Valley School trustees.

I would encourage every citizen who is concerned about the state of funding for education in BC to write a letter of support to the Cowichan Valley board to their chair, Eden Haythornthwaite. Her e-mail address is 

ehaythor@sd79.bc.ca

Send copies to your own trustees letting them know that you agree with the actions of the Cowichan Valley school board.

Or if you are within travelling distance attend the Stand up for the Made-in-Cowichan Budget rally. It will be held outside the board office at 2557 Beverly Street in Duncan,  on Wednesday June 20.

Update:
Listen to Eden Haythornthwaite on CBC at http://www.cbc.ca/ontheisland/2012/06/13/cowichan-school-board-standoff/#

A Teacher's Perspective on the Principal's perspective

A Response to BCPVPA:
Following, in red, are my responses to the recent “Perspectives from the Principal’s Office,” by Jameel Aziz, President of the BC Principals’ and Vice-principals’ Association (BCPVPA). Upon reading this article, one might wonder how they think they will ever be able to mend the rift that has occurred between administration and teachers, let alone improve the relationship, by writing such an article. This type of article will only widen to a gaping chasm what could have been a mendable crack.

The 2011-2012 school year has been anything but normal and as we head into its last few months, I have been asked to share the perspectives of members of the BC Principals’ & Vice-Principals’ Association. These illustrations, while not representative of all schools, are examples of the real challenges that many schools, students and parents have faced this year.

  

Schools are typically vibrant communities, with a lot of positive interactions both in classrooms and out of them. School culture has been significantly eroded this year by the continuing dispute between the BC Public School Employers’ Association (the body which negotiates on behalf of school boards with teachers in British Columbia) and the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF). The routine and critically important communications between teachers and principals and vice-principals about student progress have not occurred in the normal fashion. As a consequence many students have not had their important academic issues addressed in a timely fashion or at all. Although teachers may not have been communicating with administration in the same way, they have continued to communicate with parents and with those colleagues responsible for developing programs and services to students.  However, some academic issues may not have been addressed in a timely fashion, but one can hardly blame the job action on that. Many issues for students have not been addressed for years due to lack of funding and over 700 special education teacher positions being lost over the past 10 years.  As well, school counsellor positions have decreased by 11.2% over the last 9 years.  English as a Second Language positions have decreased by over 330.  Library positions are nearly 300 fewer than in 2001.  None of these can be attributed to declining needs.  In fact needs have actually increased.  Teachers are advocating for the return of these necessary services.


  
This year has seen the cancellation of some Christmas and winter holiday performances and routine student recognition assemblies. Some meetings about students who are having difficulties have not taken place. Meetings with teachers to discuss the direction of school initiatives and goals have not taken place. Parents did not receive first term report cards about their child’s progress. While some parents were able to get information about their child, many did not receive this information. Indeed, some parents reported that they made electronic contact with teachers but received no helpful response. Students have informed us that they have missed out on numerous scholarship opportunities as many of these applications require leadership activities to be considered. Mr Aziz, the wording of your accusation that some parents were “able to get information” would infer that getting information from teachers was difficult.  The fact is that just the opposite was true.  The vast majority of parents were getting far more useful information than they would ever get from a report card.


  
Surprisingly all of this disruption has not generated as much public response as those of us in the system would have expected. Still, principals and vice-principals often hear from parents that they are concerned about vocalizing these issues. It is not surprising at all that this has not generated much public response.  When people are actually getting better and more relevant service, they don’t usually complain.  Teachers have worked very hard this year to ensure that parents get useful and relevant information about their children’s progress.

  

We have now moved into a new phase of this dispute. In many districts, the school day consists of student instruction from bell to bell but little else. If we, as adults, reflect on our student experiences, we know that instruction and formal learning opportunities are only part of the value of school. The interactions
with teachers and others, through clubs, sports, fine arts activities,
drama performances, field trips and special school activities
make our schools special and create unique, memorable and
invaluable experiences for students. These enriching and positive
opportunities will not be a part of the public education experience
for many of our students. Teachers are not stopping these activities from occurring.  Principals, vice principals and other excluded staff along with parents and community members are welcome to step up to the plate and do their share.  If principals and others believe these activities to be “invaluable, unique, memorable, enriching and positive, then surely they will step up.  Mr. Aziz, your descriptive words mean nothing if you continue to write other words that indicate a complete lack of respect for the teachers and the work they do.  For as long as I can remember, teachers have been freely giving of their own volunteer time to support other people’s children. Perhaps it is time for people to realize just how much teachers actually do to support their students beyond what is required.  

  
Principals and vice-principals have had many conversations about a
new normal that is being established in our schools and they have
consistently expressed a belief that this is not a positive direction.
If schools lose the energy, character and culture that have been
their hallmark, our students will leave their public education years
less well-rounded, less prepared for their working lives and less
likely to champion public education when they are adults. What a short time it took principals and vice principals to declare that a new normal is being established! I suppose if it goes on long enough some teachers may decide to curtail some of their volunteer activities.  I don’t know. However, if you are concerned, it might be wise to step up to the plate and start supporting teachers’ efforts to achieve an education system that is in keeping with “Better Schools for BC” than supporting the constant underfunding of our education system through silence and complicity. 

Better Schools for BC http://bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/Publications/BetterSchoolsForBC.pdf

  

Principals and vice-principals do not have the answers to resolve
the issues facing our schools, but we believe it is important to
share the reality as we see it on a daily basis. Our concern, as this
school year moves to a close, is that nothing will be different in
September and students will be forced to endure another year of
disengagement from the system.  It won’t do any good to just stand by and be concerned.  You need to be vocal and work alongside teachers in their efforts to maintain a Class A education system.  You cannot do that by cheering as this government attempts to make the lives of teachers more difficult by stripping long standing rights to job security.  You cannot do that by supporting threats to teachers through Bill 22.  The actions of Principals and vice principals through articles like this one can only further erode the already strained relationship between these two groups.

  
There is no sign that a resolution is at hand. If this dispute
continues for another year, the negative effects will be long-term
and profound. You are right. There currently is no sign of resolution.  How can there be with legislation being drawn up like Bill 22 and Bill 36?  How can there be when there have been 21 education bills since the current government has been in office, not one of which has been seen by teachers as offering an improvement?  10 of these pieces of legislation have been deemed in contravention of International Labour Law, of which Canada is a signatory.

Bill 22 hurts students and attacks teachers’ rights. http://www.bctf.ca/BargainingAndContracts.aspx?id=25978



 Principals and vice-principals have worked hard this year to ensure
that as many as possible of the normal school processes occur,
and they will continue to do so. However, the system works much
more effectively to serve the needs of students and families when
all partners are able to work together to provide that support. Wouldn’t that be great!  Unfortunately, it has been mostly teachers who have been volunteering to do extra-curricular activities.  This latest job action is to protest the cuts of the last 10 years and to advocate for re-instatement and improvement of services to students. Perhaps if principals and vice-principals joined with teachers and “worked together” in this important struggle “to provide that support” we wouldn’t be in this situation.



This latest phase in our schools will not allow principals and vice principals
to pick up the many pieces of school life that will be lost
and in the end it will be the students and families of the public
system who will miss out.
Statement from BCTF in response to this statement:  For the past 10 years, it’s been teachers picking up the pieces – because of the loss of so many special education positions, because of the loss of ESL teaching positions, because of larger class sizes and fewer supports to go around to all students. Teachers in schools have been shouldering the burden. Their union dues have gone toward expensive challenges in the courts to try to get those working and learning conditions back, and teachers’ hard work has gone into trying to get the message out to parents and the public about the devastating changes flowing from Bill 27/28. From our perspective, the BCPVPA has, at best, sat idly by – and, at worst, cheered the provincial government for implementing legislation like Bills 27/28.  


  
A respectful and workable solution must be found soon to protect
the long-term viability of public education and to continue to give
students the opportunities they need to thrive now and achieve
in the future. Yes indeed! A respectful and workable solution is what is needed. What is not needed is Bill after Bill that erodes the rights of teachers and promotes the deterioration of our children's learning conditions and our education system.

Extracurricular activities: Who is betraying the faith?

Geoff Johnson, retired superintendent has once again gotten it wrong in his article "Extracurricular Activities Make a Difference." 

 http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/Extracurricular+activities+make+difference/6471190/story.html

Geoff, if we all know about these kids, I’m wondering why you and current administration are not stepping up to the plate to coach. Why is it not important enough for their own parents to step up and take over for the next 2 and one half months? Why are teachers the only ones expected to volunteer time so that people like Mike can have that special reason to keep going?

Let me assure you that teachers have not decided to do this lightly. It is with a heavy heart that they do this. However, the suggestion that extra-curricular be included in the job action has come from the grassroots teachers. In some locals it has been the coaches themselves who have volunteered to drop extra-curricular because they feel that the government has backed them into that corner through the passage of Bill 22.

I wonder why you insist on laying the blame at the feet of the teachers rather than on the government who are the perpetrators of that shabby treatment of which you speak.

I don’t think the BCTF has ever said it is “all” about the kids. However, it certainly is about the future of our education system which of course is in place for the kids. There is a much bigger picture here which the teachers of BC are concerned about and if you really want to help, I suggest you and your administrator friends step forward and fill the temporary gap in extra-curricular. Since they (administrators) refuse to take a stand on underfunding, Bill 22, and other assaults on the education system, perhaps they could just do that little bit while the teachers are actually taking a stand in protecting our world class education system before it is completely ruined.

The government of BC is betraying the children's faith and the Principals' and Vice-principals' Association and the BC School Superintendents' Association has done nothing to show that they disagree with that betrayal of faith.  It's time to step forward.

BCPSEA: What a Mug's Game they play!

BCTF’s opening proposal for salary is Cost of living for the 1^st year, cost of living plus a small market adjustment of 3% in the second and third years.  BCPSEA claims that this opening proposal of 15% over 3 years amounts to 2 billion dollars.

Let’s take a closer look.

The full operating grant funding for 2011/12 amounts to 4.72 billion dollars. Teacher salaries account for 2.17 billion.  That’s about 46% of the total operating grant for the province.

Yet the government and BCPSEA claim that an opening proposal of 15% over three years will equal 2 billion? Even an elementary school studying basic percentages couldn’t fathom that.  That preposterous claim would mean that the teachers are asking that their salaries be raised by nearly 100% during the course of three years.  Did they hear wrong?  Were the teachers asking for 100% increase over 3 years? No, they were making an opening proposal of 3% (cost of living), 3% cost of living + 3% market adjustment, then 3% cost of living + 3% market adjustment.  All of which is negotiable, by the way.

15% of 2.17 billion is actually $325,510,038. Even with some compounding over the 3 years, the teachers are not asking for 100% increase over 3 years as BCPSEA suggests and as Mr. Abbott and various newspapers keep repeating.

Hope that puts an end to the Mug’s game that BCPSEA is playing with regard to salary demands.

Corrections to Government Made-up "Facts."

Thank you to the BC Ministry of Education for providing me with such a convenient opportunity to present the facts to my readers.  The following table (the parts in black) was posted on the Ministry websites.  Most of what they have presented as fact is simply made up.  The REAL facts are in red.

British Columbia Teachers’ Federation Claim	FACT
700 fewer Special Needs teachers	Government propagated MYTH: 2,100 additional special needs teaching assistants in B.C. classrooms. FACT: Although assistants are important, in the time between 2001 and 2007 over 600 special ed. TEACHERS were lost. At the same time the numbers of special needs students increased by over 1400 students. Since 2006 , 174 more special needs teachers have been lost and over 1,000 more special needs assistants have been added. http://bctf.ca/announcements.aspx?id=25308
Ninth-best paid in Canada	Gov propagated MYTH: B.C. teachers’ salary plus benefits is fourth-best among provinces. FACT: When comparing categories of equal training and experience BC teachers range from 6th to 9th depending on category.  The facts are clearly shown in the BCTF documents found at http://www.bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/BargainingContracts/U102-SalaryDocument.pdf
Seniority eroded under Bill 22 - Education Improvement Act	Gov propagated MYTH: Seniority remains key factor but qualifications also considered. Math teachers teaching Math; Science teachers teaching Science. FACT: This is a made-up problem.  All teacher collective agreements contain within their seniority language a provision that qualifications trump seniority. The government proposal is that seniority comes after principal’s choice which opens the door for all kinds of discrimination which would be difficult to prove.  i.e. nepotism, cronyism, applicant too active in the union, too fat, too feminine, too masculine, of child bearing age.  Who knows? Seniority is NOT a key factor in the BCPSEA proposal and for their information qualifications are already considered in collective agreements.
Contract demands are reasonable	Gov propagated MYTH: A 15 per cent wage increase at a cost of $2 billion is completely unreasonable, given the current economic reality. FACT: It is reasonable to ask for a cost of living increase.  And since BC teachers are so far behind colleagues across the country, it is reasonable to propose a small catch-up, which by the way is only a tiny fraction of the actual gap.  This is also our opening position. Unfortunately BCPSEA has not offered even one counter to our opening position. Furthermore, BCPSEA continues to play a mug’s game with their costing. The BCTF costing of all of our proposals is $535 million dollars.  It’s a little odd 15% increase to one account (which comprises between 40 – 50% of the total budget) within a total budget of 4 – 5 billion $ would increase the total budget by nearly 50%.  Hmmm...Some monkey business going on with those calculations.
Wage increases are modest	Gov propagated MYTH: Teachers’ union demands would cost $2 billion, which would raise taxes on all B.C. families. FACT: The BC Liberals have made some serious mistakes in handling taxpayer money.  They are now choosing to make the workers of BC pay for their mistakes.  They have other options which they refuse to take.  They could rescind some of the tax breaks they have given to the wealthiest corporations.  Currently BC has the lowest corporate tax rates in the G8.  I am not talking about incorporated small businesses here.  I am talking about extremely wealthy companies, many of whom over charge and underpay. Talk about favouring the 1% over the 99%.
Eliminated class sizes	Gov propagated MYTH: Class-size caps on all grades with exceptions made by principals and superintendents. FACT: And how are principals and superintendents going to make class sizes reasonable without adequate funding?  The consultation with the teacher, the person who best knows what will work in any given classroom, is also no longer required.
Reject net-zero wage mandate	130 net-zero contracts signed. 25,000 CUPE employees signed net zero contracts. FACT: That is a decision for other unions to make.  Labour unions are in support of the BCTF struggle for a fair and reasonable deal. They recognize that this is an assault on all of them, not just teachers.
Teachers have not been fairly compensated	Teachers received a 16 per cent wage increase; $3,700 signing bonus for their last contract. FACT: And yet teachers have gone from 3rd in Canada to as low as 9th.  But what is even more egregious is the insistence on stripping the collective agreement of long held rights.  Furthermore the government has ignored the Supreme Court ruling by Judge Griffin regarding class size and composition, teachers’ working conditions and students’ learning conditions. Bill 22 is an all out assault on unions and the government is starting with teachers. It is also an assault on students and the education system in general.
12,000 overcrowded classes	Gov propagated MYTH: Of 65,000 classes, fewer than 1,500 have more than 31 students. Fewer than 600 have more than 33 -- most of these are band, choir and theatre. FACT: Overcrowding is more than that. What about classes that pose a health and safety problem because children are being crammed into labs that are only made for 24 students? What about classes of 28 with 8 special needs students? Are those not overcrowded? Here is the BCTF brief on Education Funding to the Select Standing committee on Finance and Government Services which clearly indicates the true extent of overcrowding in our schools: http://bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/Publications/Briefs/2011EdFundingBrief.pdf