TERRACE TEACHERS were passing out a Valentine treat Feb. 11 with a message – more money is needed for special needs students.
“Terrace teachers would love more support for our special needs students,” says Karen Andrews, President of the Terrace District Teachers’ Union. “In Terrace and Thornhill schools, there are over 218 classes with three or more special needs students. In many cases that breaks the government’s own legislation!”
Andrews also said other changes reduced the number of students eligible for assistance.
Teachers have been locked in a dispute over special needs students and class sizes with the provincial government.
A BC Supreme Court decision last year found the province wrongly took class size and class composition away from conditions that could be negotiated in a teachers' contract.
But the two sides have yet to agree on how large classes should be or on how much should be spent on special needs students.