School District 57 students who missed three lost days of instruction as a result of last month's teachers' strike won't be getting back that classroom time.
But there is a silver lining. Most of the money saved in unpaid teachers' wages will go back to schools.
By not having to pay the province's 41,000 teachers during the walkout, the education ministry saved $37 million and will direct $30 million of that to the Learning Improvement Fund (LIF) for the 2012-13 school year, doubling the fund from $30 million to $60 million.
For School District 57, that will result in a doubling of LIF funding to $1.534 million for 2012-13, said a ministry spokesman. The remaining $7 million will be distributed to each of the province's 60 school boards. School District 57, by not paying its 730 full-time equivalent teachers, saved the province close to $972,000 in lost wages during the walkout.
How much of that $7 million pot will stay in School District 57 schools remains a mystery. SD 57 superintendent Brian Pepper, who was out of town on Tuesday, deferred all comment to the education ministry, who advised the Citizen to contact the school board to release that figure. SD 57 secretary-treasurer Bryan Mix could not be reached.
The province now has $195 million in the LIF to hand out to schools over the next three years. Schools will have access to another $60 million in LIF funding in 2013-14 and $75 million in 2014-15. That money will be used to hire additional teachers and special education assistants, will pay for additional teaching time, and fund professional development and training for teachers.
"We always want more support for our kids but it's unfortunate this is how they're doing it, they should have funded our education system properly in the first place," said Tina Cousins, first vice-chair of the Prince George District Teachers Association. "We of course want better learning conditions for schools, but this isn't the way to do it, on the backs of teachers."
The ministry plans to consult with the B.C. Teachers Federation, classroom teachers, and district and school staff to make decisions on how the LIF will be spent.
"Investing $30 million is savings from the strike into the Learning Improvement Fund will provide school districts with additional resources to support students and to help teachers address the needs of students," said Education Minister George Abbott, in a prepared release.
"I hope that the parties will work with Dr. Charles Jago to move forward through the mediation process and reach a negotiated agreement so that we can continue to improve our education system and provide students with the best education possible."
Since Jago was appointed the mediator a week ago, the two parties have yet to meet for face-to-face negotiations. The former UNBC president form Prince George will try to produce a negotiated agreement by the beginning of summer. Until that happens, teachers will be working under terms of the previous collective agreement, which expired last summer. If there is no new contract in place by June 30, Jago will issue a report with non-binding recommendations.
"At this point there are no plans for negotiations, at the local level either," said Cousins. "We're cooling off, that's what they say, but it doesn't feel like we're cooing off."
