It still has to be ratified by the BC Teachers Federation, but finally the moment parents and students have been waiting for appears to have arrived. It was announced early Tuesday morning that a tentative deal has been reached between the BCTF and the BC Public School Employers Association (BCPSEA, the organization which bargains for the provincial government).
SD6 Superintendent Paul Carriere says he was informed this morning that the BCTF will be voting on the deal this Thursday, and until then he had no announcement to make on when schools in the Kimberley zone would open.
Carriere did say that he was very pleased that a deal had been reached and said that the District would make an announcement on when schools would open, as soon as possible.
Parents can visit the website at sd6.bc.ca or follow @RMSD6 on Twitter for the latest information.
Meanwhile Sally Struthers of the Kimberley Teachers’ Association was waiting for word on how the ratification would work, but said she and her colleagues were looking forward to an end to the strike/lockout.
“Teachers are looking forward to reviewing the tentative deal and wish to thank our parents, students and the public for their tremendous support throughout this dispute. Teachers want to get back to in the classroom and start the school year with their students.”
The Kimberley Teachers Association had intended to host a Meet the Parents night on Wednesday to provide information to parents on the labour dispute. That meeting has now been cancelled.