Dear Premier Campbell,I acknowledge that the people who hold the public purse strings in today's economic environment are faced with very difficult decisions.
I also believe that short-term "I want to be re-elected" platforms are not in the best interests of the citizens of Vancouver.
Obviously, there are as many points-of-view and "this is the way to resolve this or that" big fat opinions as there are issues.
Here's mine:
I have two children. My 12-year-old is in Grade 6 at General Gordon Elementary, one of the schools that is apparently at risk of losing its vice-principal, and my 14-old-year is in Grade 8 at Lord Byng. From a parent's point of view, both of these schools are excellent: the teachers care deeply about their students, the administrators are engaged and committed. The principals and vice-principals leave their offices, engage the students, take on new, innovative initiatives; say "yes" to extra-curricular sports and activities that necessitate more time on their parts. These are schools that are not only surviving, but are thriving with already very low funding.
It is nonsensical that the Provincial Government not come up with sufficient $$$ for schools to be able to have vice-principals. You propose to cut out the beating hearts of our schools by making adequate funding to our schools as such a low priority.
Schools already deal with children coming to school without having had breakfast; children who do not respect the authority of the teacher; being olbigated to spend precious classroom hours teaching children how to write standardized tests--something that I do not believe helpskids learn how to learn thereby allowing them as adults to be able to respond creatively or effectively to society's rapidly and ever-changing reality. The list goes on and on...and these issues that are much more severe in many schools across the city.
Please don't make new problems with your funding decisions.
In the Thursday's Vancouver Sun it states that the Liberals "have promised a major review to ensure K-12 parents and teachers have up-to-date tools to help all students, and a full curriculum reivew to put new emphasis on climate change, aboriginal history, personal heatlth and personal finance." (Vancouver Sun, April 16, A11)
I have to be honest, this sounds like a lot of expensive mumbo-jumbo. Who will be left at our schools to participate in this review? How many additional hours of work will they be expected to fit into their day? How is it acceptable to keep adding things for administrators to deal with that don't directly relate to ensuring the smooth functioning of their schools this school year.
Premier Campbell, your bio says that you went to public school, I know that your mother worked at a public school, I know that your wife taught (teaches?) at a public school, I know that your sister was an educator. I believe you know how vitally important it is to properly fund education. Why then do your actions as Premier of B.C. appear to be encouraging people to put their kids in private schools?
People have to come before things. Young people have to matter. Education needs to involve being engaged in the community, caring about others, being the change you want to see in Vancouver even when the world seems to be going crazy around you--this necessitates a functioning administration and therefore necessitates both a principal and vice-principal at every school.
Please do the right thing. Work with the Vancouver School Board Trustees to ensure adequate support of our most precious grown-in-BC resource.
Sincerely,
Sincerely,
Zoë Lewis
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