To Parents, Students and Families of SD #63,
COPACS (Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils of Saanich) continues to work on your behalf to address the two major challenges facing our children in this ongoing labour dispute.
Our first and most pressing issue is to get the students of SD #63 back into their classrooms. As we enter week three of our children being out of school, the toll and burden this prolonged job action brings is of serious concern to us all. We have called on both parties to sit down again today to solve this issue locally.
Because of the lack of movement at the negotiating table and competing narratives in the media, COPACS is calling on the BC Government to use any and all tools at its disposal that will allow for our students to return to their classrooms.
Secondly, we cannot lose sight of the issue underlying our current dilemma that ironically all parties agree to: wage parity. The ability of our district to recruit and retain vital staff in a competitive job market is significantly affected by the inability to offer fair and competitive wages. COPACS has and will continue to raise this issue with the Trustees, District Administration, the Minister of Education and our elected MLAs.
We have, and will continue to have conversations with all stakeholders to share the perspective and experience of families and students during this job action. We share your frustration and anger as solution continues to remain elusive.
We ask that everyone please remember that all stakeholders remain committed to finding solutions. As frustration and anger mount, it is easy to become polarised and have relationships break down. Divisiveness in the long run will do more harm than good.
As parents and families, we need to find common ground and work together in the best interests of our children. Let's strive to get our students back into their classrooms and then collectively continue tackling the bigger issues at hand.
Yours for the children...
COPACS Executive
(This letter was sent out November 12th)