School closures are planned for Prince George next Thursday as B.C. teachers step up job action in their ongoing dispute with the provincial government.
Schools will be hit by rotating strikes with a different set of school districts affected beginning May 26 and running through May 29. School District 57 public schools are slated for the final day.
The rotating closures are part of a two-stage strike plan teacher approved in March, said the B.C. Teachers' Federation (BCTF).
"Teachers do not take job action of any kind lightly," said BCTF president Jim Iker, in a press release. "As teachers, we care deeply about our students and their education, but with another round of brutal cuts looming, we need to act now."
The first phase of strike action to hit Prince George began in April when the district's teachers stopped supervising students outside of regular instructional time. That led to the cancellation of recess at local elementary schools as well as later start times and earlier class end times.
Iker encouraged Premier Christy Clark and Education Minister Peter Fassbender to be in touch with the teachers and empower the B.C. Public School Employers' Association to negotiate improvements to sticking points such as class size and composition.
"If this government is serious about labour peace they should offer teachers a fair deal and show some good faith," Iker said. "We will remain at the bargaining table. There are six days left before the first schools shut down."
