If the provincial government and the sa国际传媒 Teachers鈥� Federation can work things out in a few days of intense mediation, imagine what they could do if they worked together over the next four or five years in a spirit of collaboration, rather than confrontation.
Let鈥檚 hope they are not slow learners, doomed to repeat the dreary and corrosive scenario of holding sa国际传媒 public education hostage while they try to hammer out the next contract.
A tentative agreement was reached Tuesday that, if ratified by teachers today, will allow schools to open next week after being closed since the middle of June. The deal reportedly gives teachers a 7.25 per cent increase over six years, with a one-time payment of $108 million to the BCTF to address retroactive grievances and $480 million over the life of the contract to hire new teachers.
The important aspect is the life of the contract, the longest in the history of teacher negotiations. Given that it is retroactive to last year, the contract is good for five years, not the 10-year deal envisioned by Premier Christy Clark during last year鈥檚 election campaign, but a vast improvement over the uncertainty that has plagued sa国际传媒 public schools for far too long.
All is not roses and sunshine. Even though the BCTF executive is recommending approval of the agreement, Tara Ehrcke, past-president of the Greater Victoria Teachers鈥� Association, is urging teachers to reject it. She said the deal doesn鈥檛 resolve the main issue, which is classroom conditions.
鈥淭his is not the deal that will restore sanity to public education and it is not a fair deal for teachers and students,鈥� Ehrcke wrote on her blog.
And the two sides are still engaged in a sa国际传媒 Supreme Court battle that dates back to 2002, when the province legislated away teachers鈥� rights to negotiate class size and composition. The court has twice ruled against the government, but the government is appealing.
Nevertheless, five years is enough time to work things out, not just in forming a new agreement, but in forming a new process that truly favours children and their education, while enabling fair conditions and compensation for teachers without breaking the bank.
That will mean setting aside old animosities and forging a new relationship. Rewriting the script might not be enough to erase the bitterness 鈥� we believe new actors are required if the public is to be spared watching reruns of the same old soap opera.
Abandon the adversarial approach in favour of a partnership dedicated to identifying issues and implementing solutions. Sweep away the garbage as it occurs, rather than waiting for it to accumulate in huge, malodorous piles. Stop playing politics with education; focus on making progress rather than scoring points against the other side. Replace posturing and staged rhetoric with respectful, constructive consultation that goes on continually.
The government is required to ensure sa国际传媒鈥檚 children are educated; teachers are needed to deliver that education. They should be on the same side, not bitter opponents.
That doesn鈥檛 mean disagreements won鈥檛 arise 鈥� differing viewpoints are not only inevitable, but healthy. A perspective that can鈥檛 withstand challenges isn鈥檛 viable.
This might sound too idealistic, but we know realities often stand in the way of achieving ideals. We are not asking for a perfect system, just an improved one. And it will be no improvement if the school year five years from now is jeopardized by another bitter dispute.
Both sides have chanted that mantra: It鈥檚 about the kids. But if it were really about the kids, they wouldn鈥檛 be pawns in a perennial power struggle.
We can do better. We must do better.
