May
3, 2017
Dear
Peace River North Teacher’s Association,
Hello, my name is Kelly Snow. I am
the Local Election Contact for the Peace River North Teacher’s Association. I
am writing to you today to share the views from our 2017 election candidates on
education.
I would like to thank you for taking time to vote on
May 9th.
Sincerely,
Kelly
Snow
Contact
Candidates:
jeff@voteforjeff.ca
michelle@electrobfraser.ca
Jared
Giesbrecht
Campaign to
Elect Bob Fedderly
campaign@fedderly.ca
PEACE RIVER NORTH TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION
Street
Address: 10142 – 100th Avenue
Mailing
Address: Box 6057
Fort St
John, B.C., V1J 4H6
Phone/Fax: 250-785-8881
Questions
for Candidates: May 9 Provincial
Election
Children
in poverty:
1.
BC
ranks high in the numbers of children living in poverty. Job losses, low wages, unaffordable housing
and a high cost of living and child-care are some of the factors that
contribute to the untenable situation many of our families face. What
will you do to change this situation?
Education
Funding:
2.
The
Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services identified
insufficient funding and downloaded costs for school districts as a major
public education issue. What specific measures will you support to
address the committee’s recommendation to provide “adequate, stable, and
predictable funding” for K-12 public education?
3.
Teacher
recruitment and retention is a huge issue in Peace River North. What
steps will you take to address shortages?
4.
The
repeal of the Education Guarantee presents a huge barrier for adults who can
least afford high tuition fees. Will you
commit to restoring funding to allow graduated students to take adult education
programs free of charge?
Fair
Bargaining Practices:
5.
The
recent Supreme Court of Canada decision restored language illegally stripped from collective agreements between
teachers and their employers. What assurances will you give that you will
not unilaterally strip fairly negotiated provisions in collective agreements?
Response from Bob Fedderly
From: Jared
Giesbrecht <jared.giesbrecht@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Apr 26, 2017 at 8:34 PM
Subject: Re: Questions for Bob Fedderly
To: Kelly Snow <ksnow@prn.bc.ca>
Hello Kelly,
Thanks for
your email. Please see below for Bob Fedderly's answers:
1. Job creation is my #1 priority. For too
long we have seen a government that takes jobs in the North for granted.
I will work hard to ensure we diversity our economy and develop new
markets. This means building natural gas power
generation in the North, developing LNG facilities for exports, investing in infrastructure (roads, bridges, rail,
schools, and seniors housing) and prioritizing jobs for British Columbians on
all infrastructure projects.
2. Insufficient funding and the
downloading of costs for school districts must be addressed by a total
implementation of the class size and composition losses that were restored by
the Supreme Court. As an independent MLA not subject to the party
discipline of either the Liberals or the NDP, I will be best able to work to
address the committee’s recommendation.
3. Recruitment and retention are
significant issues in the North. I will work to achieve regionally adjusted pay to
address additional cost of living in the North. This would need to be
addressed through additional Ministry funding rather than from existing
district budgets. Pay isn’t everything, but it is essential to get it
right and ensure northern teachers are adequately paid for their hard work.
4. Adult education programs help create jobs by
allowing people to achieve a trade or a better job. I believe these
programs are vital and should be funded though the Ministry.
5. The Supreme Court ruling speaks for
itself. The Liberal government wasted too much time, energy, and money on
this battle with teachers. Collective agreements are legally binding
contracts and should be adhered to.
Thanks
again,
Jared
Giesbrecht
Campaign to
Elect Bob Fedderly
campaign@fedderly.ca
778-256-1613
___________________________________________________________________
Response from Rob Dempsey:
Hello Kelly!
Here's my
position on education:
I am deeply
committed to ensuring generous support for public education. That means that
funding per student ratios need to be to highest in Canada. It also means that
we need to strive to create ideal classroom size and composition levels that
are based on what the educators of this province think are most advantageous
for our students (not unqualified bureaucrats with no real classroom
experience). Public education is the very foundation of our modern democratic
society. Equality and justice stem from a healthy public education system. Our
government needs to understand that truth. We need to say goodbye to the days
where our system is starved of funds in the name of unjustifiable financial
austerity. We need to say goodbye to the days where the relationship between
teachers and government is based on hostility and acrimony. We need to act in
the best interest of students instead of meeting the financial whims of a
corporate agenda that does not serve the needs of the public as a whole. And
finally, we need to support and listen to our teachers. What group better
understands the needs of the system. Our public education will work best when
it meets the needs of all of the important stakeholders including the public,
the teachers and the students.
Robert Dempsey
Response from
Jeff Richert
Children
in poverty:
1. BC ranks high
in the numbers of children living in poverty. Job losses, low
wages, unaffordable housing
and a high cost of living and child-care are some
of the factors that contribute
to the untenable situation many of our families
face. What
will you do to change this situation?
The
Rural Social Development Fund that I outline in my platform could
provide
an opportunity for rural and northern communities to access
funding
for social development. Child care facilities, food banks, low
income
housing projects and many other social development agencies
and
initiatives could utilize this funding in order to begin to help people
living
in rural and northern communities who live in poverty. This first
step
in education is ensuring our children have a good nights sleep and
adequate
nutrition in order to aid in their educational experience and
this
plan would help meet those fundamental needs.
Education
Funding:
2. The Select
Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services
identified insufficient
funding and downloaded costs for school districts as a
major public education issue. What
specific measures will you support to
address
the committee’s recommendation to provide “adequate, stable, and
predictable
funding” for K-12 public education?
I
think reducing the amount of funding provided to independent schools
would
free up additional dollars that will provide adequate, stable, and
predictable
funding for K-12 public education. School districts would
also
benefit from dollars being redirected from independent school
subsidies
and the cost downloading issue could be mitigated in short
order.
3. Teacher
recruitment and retention is a huge issue in Peace River North.
What
steps will you take to address shortages?
Retention
and recruitment continues to be an ongoing problem for many
different
employers in the Peace Region. To date, I am not aware of any creative
or
effective measures to address the issue. I am of the opinion that a blanket
approach
to encouraging qualified workers including teachers is an approach
worth
looking into. A significant and meaningful increase in the northern living
allowance
on the federal tax form would be a good start to attract and retain
qualified
workers as well as exploring more creative approaches such as
student
loan deferrals or implementing a provincial northern living allowance
as
examples.
4. The repeal of
the Education Guarantee presents a huge barrier for adults who
can least afford high tuition
fees. Will you commit to restoring funding to
allow
graduated students to take adult education programs free of charge?
I
really appreciated the Education Guarantee program and what it stood
for.
I think it is very unfortunate that this situation has occurred and I
would
advocate for the repeal to be reversed.
Fair
Bargaining Practices:
5. The recent
Supreme Court of Canada decision restored language illegally
stripped from collective
agreements between teachers and their employers.
What
assurances will you give that you will not unilaterally strip fairly
negotiated
provisions in collective agreements?
The
decision to fight a 15 year war with teachers was never in the
interest
of British Columbians. I would never support any measure in the
legislature
that would strip fairly negotiated provisions in collective
agreements
and would be a loud voice against any action taking place in
the future.
Response from
Rob Fraser
Questions from PRNTA
1. Poverty in our province is a growing issue and we are no
exception in the Peace River North. I do not have all the answers to this issue
but I do have some ideas that can be worked on locally. Poverty needs to be
addressed in part by growing, diversifying and adding value to our economy.
Having family supporting jobs is the first line of dealing with poverty. This
can be done in various ways; we can grow and diversify our economy by investing
in the development of industries in the north that are not currently being
considered. Industries like: horticulture, expanding the electrical grid to our
remote industries, construction of necessary road and highway infrastructure,
value added forest products, energy production through, biomass, cogeneration
and geothermal, and petrochemicals. We can also grow the economy by modernizing
our tax system. A value added consumption tax combined with a flat income tax
will put more money into the hands of the consumers. This has many benefits
while growing the economy.
I also believe we can work locally to address both affordable
housing and daycare. I am promoting the idea of a not for profit housing and
development corporation that can work with the different stakeholder groups on
the affordable housing situation. This corporation will support volunteer
organizations, industry and local government with the design, finance,
construction, and ongoing operation of affordable housing complexes. These
complexes can be designed to provide opportunities across the spectrum of housing
needs including: homeless, social assisted, seniors, gap housing for necessary
professionals and industry requirements. Daycares for children and seniors can
be designed into these complexes. Tele-health facilities could also be
provided. Rental rates will be established by market rates adjusted for need.
2. I believe there needs to be a province wide discussion about
the desired outcomes of our education system. Provincial outcomes need to be
established. The one size fits all funding mentality does not work in a
province as large and diverse as British Columbia. Once we establish agreed
upon objectives, the province needs to fund the realization of those
objectives. An example is the bussing situation. The provincial outcome could
be: Every child in BC will be provided access to public education. If this is
the desired outcome then, the province funds the school boards according to the
most relevant and cost effective manner available. If transit systems are
available then the district may choose that, if bussing is the only option then
the province will fund that. In order to understand what adequate, stable,
predictable funding is, we need to know what we are funding. There will be many
provincial desired outcomes from our education system and that is why we need a
dialogue.
3. Teacher recruitment and retention starts with recruiting local
students and educating them at home. Incentives need to be considered such as
graduated tuition and reduction or elimination of interest on student loans
based on whether the student lives in a rural or remote community. Assistance
with repayment of student loans in return for term service contracts may be
another opportunity. Affordable housing and daycare as discussed in my answer
to question number 1 is another way to both attract and retain teachers and
their families. Finally, ensuring that teachers are supported in their careers
with teacher mentoring programs will also help.
4. I must admit that I do not know enough about this topic to
offer an informed opinion. On the surface I believe that education is a
worthwhile investment in our society. However, without having the facts in
front of me to outline the expected outcomes and costs of the program, I would
only be guessing at an answer. I will say however that when elected I will work
with interested constituents to form an MLA advisory committee that will
discuss and research issues like this one to develop solutions that I can
present on behalf of the riding to other MLAs, government committees and Minister
of Education. Good ideas matter regardless of where they come from or who
presents them.
5. I believe that collective agreements bargained in good faith
need to be supported. I have been trained at the Canadian Labour College as a
shop steward. I have worked and regulated in both union and non-union shops. I
have seen firsthand the results of poorly managed union workplaces that do not
abide by the terms of a fairly negotiated collective agreement. The agreement
belongs to both parties and should be administered accordingly. If not then
workplaces erode into divided labour nightmares. On the other hand I have seen
workplaces with progressive management that seem to thrive in a labour
environment of cooperation and goodwill. Collective Agreements are negotiated
well in advance of the term and both sides work together with very little
conflict. As MLA, I will strive to build a relationship between the government
and the unions representing the workforce working with it that reflects
goodwill and good faith. I will vote against any legislated move to
unilaterally strip provisions from fairly negotiated collective agreements.
Response from
Dan Davies
Children in poverty:
1)
BC
ranks high in the numbers of children living in poverty. Job losses, low wages, unaffordable housing
and a high cost of living and child-care are some of the factors that
contribute to the untenable situation many of our families face. What
will you do to change this situation?
Our
plan starts with a strong, diverse, growing economy that gives British
Columbians the opportunity to look after the people they love - and provide government with the resources
to support the most vulnerable. The BC
Liberals have recently created a program called the Single Parent Employment
Initiative that allows single parents to access training and job opportunities
while still receiving social assistance and getting free child care - a real
hand up - this is benefiting 4,600 single parents right now! The BC Liberals have invested $20 million to
create 2,000 more childcare spaces this year alone. We have invested almost $5
billion in affordable housing and are assisting 104,000 families. When the BC Liberal formed government, child
poverty was over 14% and now is at 9.7%.
We have committed $10 million in funding to food banks in BC and will be
working with farmers markets to provide local grown food for those in need
through tax credits. I am committed to working to reduce child poverty and will
work with local organization to increase funding and find opportunities to
reduce child poverty in the North Peace through our new $7 million Community
Poverty Reduction Fund.
Education Funding:
2)
The
Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services identified
insufficient funding and downloaded costs for school districts as a major
public education issue. What specific measures will you support to
address the committee’s recommendation to provide “adequate, stable, and
predictable funding” for K-12 public education?
As
an educator myself, I want to bring my experience to the government table in
Victoria and ensure a strong educators voice at the table. The BC Liberal
Government will spend a record $5.9 Billion in the 2017/18 year, and will
provide an additional $740 Million increase over the next 3 years, with a
special focus on rural schools. We will also invest another $2 billion in
capital spending over the next 3 years for new schools and renovations. We are
very happy to see the construction on the Ma Murray School in Fort St. John and
I will be working hard to move us forward to another new school in the near
future.
3)
Teacher
recruitment and retention is a huge issue in Peace River North. What
steps will you take to address shortages?
As a teacher and life-long resident
of Fort St. John, I know that rural school districts can experience challenges
in recruiting and retaining teachers. I was happy to see the BC Liberal
Government invest $2 million in rural teacher recruitment and retention
programs. This funding was used to support:
· free job posting services and access to an online
teacher application management system;
· coordination of national and international
recruitment efforts; and
· local incentives, such as enhanced funding for
travel expenses for professional development, relocation expenses and
transitional housing assistance.
In addition to this funding, the BC
Liberal government began an engagement process to create a rural education
strategy by the summer of 2017.
Going forward, Today’s BC Liberals
will commit an additional $5 million over the next two years to fund teacher
retention programs in rural school districts. We will also establish a
student-teacher loan forgiveness program in rural districts with extreme
teacher attraction and retention challenges. I will continue to be a voice for
students and families in the Peace.
4)
The
repeal of the Education Guarantee presents a huge barrier for adults who can
least afford high tuition fees. Will you
commit to restoring funding to allow graduated students to take adult education
programs free of charge?
Again,
I am a huge proponent on education. As
an individual with post secondary education, I can attest to the cost. I am committed to looking at and helping
devise a plan to make post secondary accessible to graduated students in northern
communities, especially when it comes to needed professions in the north, like
teachers and health care professionals etc.
Fair Bargaining Practices:
5)
The
recent Supreme Court of Canada decision restored language illegally stripped from collective agreements between
teachers and their employers. What assurances will you give that you will
not unilaterally strip fairly negotiated provisions in collective agreements?
I
certainly recognize the relationship between government and teachers needs
work, as a teacher that was in the middle of the last labour dispute. I am committed to building mutual respect and
trust, and feel that by having a teacher at the table can only strengthen these
relations. I will be an advocate.
EXTRA
INFO:
Answers to Fort Nelson Teacher’s
Association Questions
Below are my answers to the
questions you have proposed. Thanks, Jeff.
1. We
face significant issues with retention and recruitment of qualified and
specialist teachers in our region. This has a direct and detrimental impact on
student learning. What policies would you implement to ensure our districts our
adequately staffed, and that our students are not getting short-changed?
Retention and recruitment continues to be an ongoing problem for
many different employers in the Peace Region. To date, I am not aware of any
creative or effective measures to address the issue. I am of the opinion that a
blanket approach to encouraging qualified workers including teachers is an
approach worth looking into. A significant and meaningful increase in the
northern living allowance on the federal tax form would be a good start to
attract and retain qualified workers as well as exploring more creative
approaches such as student loan deferrals or implementing a provincial northern
living allowance as examples.
2. How
will you make sure educational inclusion is done effectively in our region.
What is your view on class size and composition? How will you fight to make
sure teachers have sufficient specialist support and all students are given the
support needed to reach their potential?
With the recent funding increases as a result of the Supreme Court
decision, I think the issues surrounding class size and composition are finally
starting to be addressed and will take time to integrate into the daily
operations of schools as staffing levels increase. My view is that smaller
class sizes result in a better learning environment for the teachers and all
students. For the Peace Region it is important for school districts to attract and
retain teachers especially given the lack of TTOC’s in order to create a more
stable system. Preventing turn over has been a long-standing issue and proper
incentives to live and work in the north are an important foundation of
stability. I would be a willing advocate as MLA to help address these issues.
3. BC is undergoing a massive shift in its curriculum. What is your view on
provincial assessment practices and how they fit with this new curriculum? How
should student progress be reported to parents, guardians, post secondary
institutions and other stakeholders?
I am not a fan of a one size fits all assessment
policy when the shift in curriculum is moving towards individualized learning.
This approach will definitely be problematic for teachers, support staff and
students because assessment policy should evolve to align with the changes at
the same time. With regards to provincial assessments, I question what the long
term value of FSA’s are when they are utilized to rank schools. Last I checked
the public interest is not for schools to be in academic competition with one
another. When it comes to reporting of student progress, I do not have any
opinion or preference and would leave that up to the school districts.
4. Over the last 10 years funding to independent schools had increased 92%,
while funding to public schools has only increased by 19% (from cbc.ca, Vancouver Sun and Ministry of
Education). What is your position on the use of public funds for independent
schools?
My
position on the use of public funds for Independent schools is that the full
cost of enrollment should be covered by the parents of the enrolled students,
not by the taxpayer. With the option of public schooling or home schooling
already accessible to parents and funded by public dollars, the decision to
enroll a child in an Independent school should not cost the tax payer anything
further and the parents should pay 100% of the costs of such a decision.
