I am appalled at the Liberal government's announcement that they are going to pay parents while their children are not receiving an education. Moreover, this is a slap in the face to teachers, who the government is implying do not matter or make a difference. Why offer education if we can just pay parents off?
Ironically, the government is willing to pay parents more per day to have students out of school than they allocate to schools for students to be in schools. As per the provincial government's Operating Grants Manual, published in March 2014, the basic allocation for a full-time student is $6,900. Given that there are approximately 185 school days in a school year, this equals $37.30 per day. Of course, those students with special needs receive more funding, but, given how there are fewer of those students (not because there are less of them, but because the means by which those students are designated as special needs has changed drastically in the last ten years), most students fit into that basic allocation. The citizens of this province need to stand up in support of public education. We cannot sit idly by while the current government unlawfully and illegally steals the right to public education from our children.
Lana Rudolph
Prince George
