Dear DPAC Exec,
Please consider sharing with your parent members the attached notice (also pasted below) concerning a sign campaign in support of BC teachers, which has been organized by a coalition of parent groups led by Protect Public Education Now. While we understand that DPACs may not wish to take sides in the labour dispute between teachers and their employer, we hope that you will be willing to grant us this communication with your membership.
Respectfully submitted, with thanks,
Marlene Rodgers on behalf of Protect Public Education Now
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 17, 2014
Support for BC Teachers: Taking it to the Streets
VANCOUVER – A coalition of five parent-groups, representing approximately 20,000 members, is calling on families everywhere in British Columbia to take their support for public school teachers to the street by posting signs in their cars, businesses and homes this summer.
The campaign, led by the Vancouver-based Protect Public Education Now and four other parent groups, invites British Columbians to download and print a sign depicting a tree of knowledge with a clear message: “We Support BC Teachers.”
“According to her comments July 14, Premier Clark does not want to let the labour dispute continue to simmer. If this is the case, she needs to take action and get back to the bargaining table,” says parent Marlene Rodgers of Protect Public Education Now. BCTF President Jim Ikers has indicated that Justice Stephen Kelleher is available for mediation the week of August 4th.
“It’s tempting, in this summer heat, to forget about the problems facing schools, but parents know that without honest bargaining by this government, September will be an unhappy month for all of us, as students return to increasingly over-sized classes, inadequate support, labour unrest, and other effects of more than a decade of underfunding,” Rodgers adds.
The Support for BC Teachers: Taking it to the Streets campaign, is designed to show support for teachers and put pressure on the government to come to the table and bargain in good faith. The campaign signs come in two sizes, designed for car and home windows. They can be downloaded from the facebook page for Protect Public Education Now. Supporters can print out the images on their home computers, and display their commitment to public education everywhere and anywhere.
The sign campaign builds on a successful petition, which has been signed by more than 6,000 citizens. http://www.thepetitionsite.
Groups supporting the sign campaign include: BC Voters for BC Teachers and Public Education, Support BC Teachers, BC Parents Supporting Teachers, and Education Rallies in BC. Collectively, the groups have over 20,000 members.
For more information, please contact:
Marlene Rodgers, Protect Public Education Now, 604-875-9818, marleneprodgers@gmail.com
Jordan Watters, Support for BC Teachers, 778-977-2309, jordanwatters4trustee@gmail.
Jonah Eckert, BC Voters in Support of BC Teachers and Public Education, 604 209 2682, jonah.eckert@gmail.com
Brandy Brundige-Gomes, BC Parents Supporting Teachers (604) 338-9588, brandyb@shaw.ca
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