VISTA

Vancouver Island School Trustees Association (VISTA)

c/o School District 69 (Qualicum); PO Box 430; Parksville, BC V9P 2G5

SD61 (Greater Victoria) SD62 (Sooke) SD63 (Saanich) SD64 (Gulf Islands) SD68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith)

SD69 (Qualicum) SD70 (Alberni) SD71 (Comox Valley) SD72 (Campbell River)

SD79 (Cowichan Valley) SD84 (Vancouver Island West) SD85 (Vancouver Island North)

March 23, 2015 Honourable Christy Clark Office of the Premier PO Box 9041 Stn Prov Govt Victoria, BC V8W 9E1 Dear Premier Clark: On behalf of the Vancouver Island School Trustees Association I am writing to express our disappointment in your characterizing our valued employees as low hanging fruit. Your recent funding announcement identifying total administrative savings of $54 million over the next two years can be summed up as both devastating and detrimental to your governments BC Education system. This willful and blatant disregard for our business experts and educational leaders will most certainly be felt throughout the system for years to come. This not only targets our senior and exempt staff who remain under a multi-year wage freeze but also our CUPE employees who have borne significant reductions due to the ongoing underfunding of education. For over a decade school districts have made extensive financial adjustments that include four-day school weeks, two-week spring breaks, reduced clerical staff support, transportation route and fee for service adjustments, in addition to financial liabilities off-loaded onto school districts by your government. Custodians and grounds keepers have been reduced from 12 month to less than 12-month employees. We have embraced shared services where meaningful cost saving measures have been realized through fleet vehicle purchasing plans, fuel consortiums and purchasing cards. Boards of Education have assessed expenditures and exercised due diligence to eliminate costs in all areas while doing their best to maintain classroom learning environments. To believe that the past and future reductions in expenditures do not impact classrooms is unrealistic. Your governments indiscriminate expectations will ensure the erosion of the BC Education Plan. The professional growth of our teachers, guided by our Districts educational leaders, will be disrupted and will have a direct impact on our student achievement. Innovative ideas and solution are born from collaboration and sharing of knowledge. We ask that you consider the impact that this will have over the longer term. Our childrens education is the key to our future success economically as a province. Sincerely,

Eve Flynn, President

cc: VISTA Members

Hon. Peter Fassbender, Minister of Education Hon. Michael de Jong, Minister of Finance BC School Trustees Association

BC School Superintendents Association BC Association of School Business Officials BC Principals and Vice Principals Association