Will Thursday be the last day of school in Kootenay Lake District 8?
By Nelson Daily Staff
There was no fanfare or year-end school field trips or parties.
However, for Kootenay Lake School District students and teachers, Thursday appears to be the end of the school year unless face-to-face bargaining beginning Friday between the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and B.C. Public School Employers’ Association turns into an 11th hour deal.
The BCTF, bolstered by an 86 percent strike mandate from members, will begin a full-scale walkout Tuesday.
The walkout is followed by Monday study session throughout the province by the BCTF.
And In Kootenay Lake School District 8, Friday, teachers will walk the picket line as part of round three of rotating strike schedule.
“The NDTA will not be picketing school sites, but will be concentrating our efforts in three locations in the Nelson side of the district,” said Nelson and District Teachers Association president Paul Bascariol in a written release.
“The Salmo schools will be picketing along Highway 6 in Salmo; the Slocan Valley schools will be picketing at the junction of Highways 6 & 3A and the Nelson schools will be picketing at the approach to the Orange Bridge.
“All sites will be manned from 7:30-11:30 a.m.”
Teachers, students and parents will know more about what will transpire next week after the two sides bargain through the weekend and the BCTF issues a revised proposal that is expected to include a substantial move on the topic of wages.
What is for sure, teachers have said they will not interrupt provincial final exams as stated in a letter from Kootenay Lake Superintendent of Schools/CEO Jeff Jones Thursday.
