Although Premier Christy Clark said at a Parksville luncheon Wednesday that the province should have a good “predictable” school year ahead, local teachers may still not be participating in any extracurricular activities, said Mount Arrowsmith Teacher Association president Deb Morran.
“This is a protest on individuals’ part against Bill 22,” she said, which put an end to teachers’ ongoing strike action with back-to-work legislation earlier this year.
Morran said teachers are concerned with larger class sizes and that an unlimited number of special needs students can be placed in classrooms, among other concerns.
There may be opportunity for local bargaining this fall in regards to layoff and recall language, she said, and since there are still about a dozen teachers laid off in the district, this is an important aspect of their contract.
She said this fall teachers will also be re-examining priorities in terms with what they will be able to successfully bargain for in the next round, in March 2013.