The June 9th newsletter is surprisingly quiet on the teachers’ strike vote. Aside from a single column listing ‘successes to date on the bargaining front, the entire newsletter is dedicated to succession issues.
The June 16th issue consists primarily of a “BC counter point” (the deputy minister’s phrase) to Alfie Kohn’s work. Retired superintendent’s Ron Rubadeau is quoted in support of standardized testing to measure innovation and excellence. Mr. Rubadeau draws upon his experience as a special education person and claims that special ed children receive lots of testing and they “enjoy taking them.” Interesting defence. Not sure if the children that I know would agree with that.
The June 23rd issue finally contains a direct reference to the current BCTF/Government negotiations. The minister mentions it, repeats the line regarding number of contracts signed, and ends with a quote from the Minister of Finance, former CBC boss Carole Taylor.
The June 26th issue, coming out on the eve of the settlement, provides a salary comparision for teachers from the DM’s point of view. Since then it seems things have been silent on the newsletter front.
Download June 9, 2006
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Download June 23, 2006
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