Education minister Paul Ramsey announced the legislation last week after 87.6 per cent of school district trustees province-wide rejected the collective agreement. Despite promises from Ramsey, Harrington and other members of the B.C. Public School Employers Association say the money simply does not exist to implement all the changes and improvements the agreement seeks.
Government is committed to paying the full cost of the items negotiated in the agreement.
But Harrington is not convinced. I think it is a big concern. I m not surprised but I am appalled. I am not prepared to gamble with our children s education by allowing this impasse to drag on and risk the strong likelihood of teachers being locked out or on strike this fall. But School Employers Association spokesman Charles Hingston is not at all happy with the imposed contract.