The Board of Education of School District 85 and the Vancouver Island North Teachers’ Association would like to reassure our communities that the process of restoring the language that was stripped from the Collective Agreement between the Board and VINTA is proceeding without difficulty. Both parties are working together in a collaborative manner, and have had respectful and meaningful meetings to ensure that our students are receiving the full benefits of the language restored by the Supreme Court of Canada. Unfortunately, this is not the case in all areas of the province. In fact, we are one of the few districts where the process is going well.
The strength of the relationship between the Board and VINTA has always been a source of pride in our school district, and that relationship has allowed for open discussion of the needs of our students, and the sharing of information to make the restoration process go smoothly.
Both the Board of Education and the union are confident that our students will benefit from the restored language, though there are still budget shortfalls to consider in other areas. We collectively commit to continuing advocacy for the adequate funding of our public education system, and we thank our communities for their continued support in this area.
- Submitted by Leightan Wishart, Chairperson of Board of Education and Shawn Gough, Local President of VINTA.