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The Saskatchewan Teachers Federation is demanding that class size and composition be included in a collective bargaining agreement. On the surface, accepting the union’s demands seems like a quick way to end this labour dispute.
What this perspective fails to consider is the impact that would result from removing fundamental decision making from school boards and placing it with the union.
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My 28 years of experience as a school board trustee, and as former president of the Saskatchewan and Canadian school boards associations has given me deep understanding of the education system in Saskatchewan.
The teachers’ union says other provinces have this clause within their collective agreement, and so should Saskatchewan.
What they don’t mention is how this concept places the interests of the union ahead of those of parents and students, taking away the responsibility and accountability of locally elected boards.
There are numerous instances in British Columbia where a family’s access to its neighbourhood school have been restricted due to the cap that exists in their collective agreement. Local children are sent to schools further away from their home.
Rigid collective agreements limit the ability of trustees to make decisions in the best interests of their communities. A vibrant rural school today could be put at risk when multi-graded classrooms are no longer permitted.
School trustees are elected and accountable to the public. Class size and composition decisions are best decided by locally elected school boards who know their community, not by distant and unaccountable provincial union leaders.
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Janet Foord, Victoria
Big snow piles on roads dangerous
I would also add my voice to those very dissatisfied with city hall’s wrongheaded decision to pile our recent snowfall the way they did. I am a retired professional driver, Class 1A for years.
And to see the roads choked off the way they were with dangerous packed ridges of snow piled high, well that was irresponsible and shortsighted of city management to do this. Let it melt, hey?
Have city officials driven around to see the lakes formed and the tidal waves being showered on pedestrians with nowhere to hide? This was a stupid thing to do and I truly hope nobody got seriously harmed by this ridiculous decision to not remove the snow.
Wayne Warner, Saskatoon
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