NANAIMO - The province's teachers' union will be watching for a possible precedent-setting B.C. Supreme Court legal challenge of class sizes and class compositions in the coming weeks.
The Nanaimo District Teachers' Association filed the petition with the court because executive members claim the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district's board of trustees has incorrectly interpreted the School Act when it approved the number of students in its classrooms.
District staff have been silent about the challenge, but school trustee Ron Dale publicly slammed the NDTA and the B.C. Teachers' Union yesterday, saying that a radical group of teachers are behind the latest attack on the district.
The court's decision could have a resounding impact across the province, as unions in nearly all districts have long criticized Bill 33, the legislation that set out strict guidelines for the number of students and special needs students that can be in one classroom.
NDTA president Derek DeGear was not available for comment and newly elected board chairwoman Sharon Welch only issued a written statement to news media yesterday.
"I think most of our teachers are reasonable people, but we have these radicals who follow the BCTF party line at any cost," Dale said, during a visit to the Nanaimo Daily News.
"Nanaimo's just a test case. There is a war being waged by the union and it's going to cost our district money."
District superintendent Mike Munro approves all class size and composition formulas sent to him by each principal. He presents those results to the trustees regularly throughout the year.
NDTA executive members have long criticized the numbers, calling on
