The labour battle between B.C. teachers and the provincial government continues to take a toll on Burnaby school district operations, wiping out summer school this week and throwing summer maintenance work into question.
The district pulled the plug on its summer school program Wednesday after finding out the two sides in the labour dispute were still far apart despite recent talks.
School officials had said they would wait until the last minute to make the decision and had already announced they were willing to postpone the start of high school classes by a week and elementary classes by a day.
But after statements from Education Minister Peter Fassbender and B.C. Teachers’ Federation president Jim Iker Wednesday, the district decided a deal that would save summer school was just too unlikely.
“As of today, it appears that the British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) and the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) remain far apart in their bargaining positions,” superintendent Kevin Kaardal wrote in a letter to parents. “Regrettably, as a result, this year the Burnaby School District’s summer session cannot proceed as planned.”
In a joint statement earlier on Wednesday, the two sides in the labour dispute had said they had attempted to enlist Supreme Court Justice Stephen Kelleher as a mediator, but after exploratory discussions with the parties he had determined the parties were still too far apart.
Burnaby school officials decided to cancel all summer classes despite a Labour Relations Board ruling making it an essential service to offer classes to students in grades 10, 11 and 12 who failed a course this year and who won’t be able to make up the courses next year.
Only 58 Burnaby students fit that bill, according to Kaardal, and they will be contacted and offered program options across the Metro region to allow them to complete their courses.
For the rest of the approximately 7,500 students who registered for summer courses this year, the district is now in the process of issuing refunds, a task it said has been complicated by the job action.
As it drags on in to the summer, there is a also chance the labour dispute could affect maintenance projects around the district, including painting, roof replacements, mechanical and electrical upgrades, washroom upgrades, and other repairs.
The teachers’ federation has left it up to local unions to decide if, when and where they will picket during the summer, and Rae Figursky (who stepped into the Burnaby Teachers’ Association president’s post July 1) said local teachers are ready.
Local teachers have not picketed schools at all this week, allowing CUPE workers to go about their business, but Figursky said teachers might make a different decision in August.
