Full Day Kindy, Teacher Wage Freeze?

107.5 KISSFM As at 4 PM (Vote Here)

Do you think a wage freeze is needed for teachers ? no 13- 52% yes 12- 48% Number of Voters : 25

Peter McIntyre Thursday, 02 September 2010 09:21 107.5 KISSFM:

The new public school year starts in less than a week, and for the first time will include full day kindergarten for five year olds. Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid (pictured) told Kiss FM on a Interior media conference call, studies have shown the program helps kids learn, in the short and long term. "It's going to improve opportunities for our students.They are not only more likely to graduate from high school but from post secondary school when they have this opportunity for early learning." The Vernon School District will offer the all-day program to 314 kids at seven elementary schools this fall, with the rest of the schools joining in year two. The schools involved this year are Alexis Park, Mission Hill, Harwood, Ellison, J.W. Inglis, Lavington and Cherryville.

On another topic, BC teachers could be offered a wage freeze in return for some form of job security in their next contract negotiation with the province. MacDiarmid told the media, it would be "disrespectful" to discuss their bargaining strategy in the media, but says that's what other government workers have accepted. "We'll be sitting down and negotiating with teachers (BCTF). Looking out over the long term time frame, obviously at some point, we will start to provide increases again, but this has been a very difficult economic time." Teachers got a 16 percent wage hike-- and a $4,000 signing bonus-- in their current five year contract that expires in June 2011. MacDiarmid also says her staff and four school districts are continuing with a pilot project on common payroll and business systems, along with shared purchasing, in an effort to find cost savings. "What we're hoping to do is to free up funding that we can keep in the system but put it to where it's closer to students, so in the classrooms and other places that students are learning." MacDiarmid says the ministry has started flowing payroll funding to school districts closer to the time when they actually need it, to avoid racking up interest fees.