Fired for standing up for students
- Details
- Published on Monday, 31 October 2016 13:15
- Written by editor
Did you see this? Christy Clark’s education minister fired the Vancouver School Board for standing up for students. I’m a dad in the interior of BC, and just like in Vancouver, the school board here in SD8 is being forced to close four schools because of Christy Clark’s savage cuts to our kids’ education funding.
We need to stand up for local, democratic control of our school boards. The first step is a huge petition to show Christy Clark that parents, teachers, and communities across the province won’t tolerate her firing our elected school boards. If this government can get away with it in Vancouver, where’s next?
Matthew, on behalf of the Leadnow team (and my daughter)
P.S. for more info check out the original message from Katie, a parent in Vancouver.
BREAKING NEWS: Christy Clark’s Education Minister just fired the democratically-elected Vancouver School Board.[1,2]
The Vancouver School Board stood up for local students, refusing to quietly accept huge budget cuts being handed down by the Christy Clark government -- cuts that would mean school closures and program cuts.
As a working mom in Vancouver, I want quality public education for my children, and I can’t believe that Christy Clark’s government thinks they can just fire the trustees we elected to stand up for our kids.
Firing the Vancouver School Board is bad for our children, bad for our public education system and bad for democracy. The government is trying to sneak this through quietly -- and a massive petition could raise the alarm, and increase the political stakes for the government.
For years, Christy Clark’s government has been slashing education funding and delaying much-needed seismic upgrades. As a parent, it felt like the Vancouver School Board were the only elected representatives who were on our side and willing to fight for safe, fully-funded schools.
The Vancouver School Board was planning to finally pass a balanced budget in a meeting tonight, in order to secure essential funding for seismic upgrades -- but incredibly, the Education Minister fired them before their meeting.[4]
Now, the Vancouver School Board is essentially being run out of the Premier’s office, by an unelected political appointee.
This could become a major scandal that will follow the BC government all the way to the ballot box in May’s provincial election, and they know it. It starts with a huge petition calling on Education Minister Mike Bernier to return control of our school board to democratically-elected trustees.
https://you.leadnow.ca/petitions/restore-democratic-control-of-our-school-board
Thanks for all that you do,
Katie, with support from the Leadnow.ca team
P.S. I started my petition on Leadnow’s create-your-own petition site. If you have an idea for a campaign, you can start your petition in a matter of minutes by clicking here.
Sources:
[1] Vancouver School Board fired by B.C. education minister (CBC)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-school-board-fired-1.3808674
[2] Former Vancouver School Board chair Mike Lombardi calls firing ‘outrageous’
http://globalnews.ca/news/3007688/b-c-education-minister-mike-bernier-set-to-address-vancouver-school-board-situation/
[3] Vancouver School Board to approve budget after months of delay, controversy (CBC)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-school-board-intend-budget-approval-1.3808204
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