Teachers to keep dispute out of classroom, PGDTA head says

British Columbia's public school teachers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action but will take steps to prevent their dispute with the provincial government from spilling over into the classroom, says Prince George and District Teachers Association president Matt Pearce.

He said Wednesday that parents will not notice much change as classes resume in September if there's no agreement by then because they will limit their job action to refusing to do administrative tasks such as filling out forms, supervising and attending staff meetings.

They will also refuse to provide report cards to administration but will continue to report to parents, he said.

"Anytime a parent wants to know how their child is doing, all they'll have to do is talk to the teacher," he said.

Pearce is hopeful but doubtful that an agreement will be reached before the next school year begins, noting the provincial government's bargaining agent, the B.C. School Employers Association, has no plans to return to the bargaining table until late August.

Pearce said teachers are seeking salary increases to bring them back in line with their stance five years as the third highest-paid in Canada In 2006 after slipping to eighth since then.

That would require a hike of 12 per cent but the Liberal government is offering no general wage increase in keeping with the same mandate for all public service employees.

A teacher in Prince George can earn a top salary of $81,469 but Pearce said that's after 11 years of teaching and completing a masters degree.

A teacher without a masters degree earns a maximum of about about $76,000, Pearce said.

First-year full-time teachers earn $42,802 and Pearce said that's after six years of schooling - it takes four years to get a bachelor's degree and a further two years of teachers college to get the qualifications to become a teacher.

Not only will an aspiring teacher have spent about $100,000 in tuition fees, books and living expenses over that time but will have also foregone significant income over that time, Pearce said.

While the school district hired about 50 new teachers this year, largely to replace retiring ones, Pearce said many must take on part-time teaching work for the first few years before gaining full-time positions.

Pearce also maintained the provincial government is dragging its feet in answer to April's Supreme Court ruling that provincial legislation prohibiting teachers from negotiating class size and composition is a violation of their constitutional rights.

The provincial government was given a year to address the repercussions of the decision but Pearce said they intend to come up with new legislation rather than negotiate with teachers.