Shut Bountiful down now and stop all public funding of private schools
 
Canadian Union of Public Employees
 
BURNABY, BC, June 23 /CNW/ - Barry O'Neill, President of CUPE BC is demanding that the provincial government immediately pull funding from Bountiful, the Independent school situated on a polygamous commune within School District 8, Kootenay Lake Schools.

"The B.C. government must return that money to the public school system, where it belongs," says O'Neill.

In addition, O'Neill is demanding a Provincial Inquiry into public funding of private and independent schools. This inquiry, he insists, must include consultation with a broad cross section of interested citizens and organizations in the province.

School trustees in District 8, Kootenay Lake recently made a decision to reduce the school year by four days. The public school district is experiencing other financial problems due to the provincial government's funding formula based on student enrolment.

In 2001-2002 while public school enrolment declined by 0.5% over the previous year, independent school enrolment increased by 9%. Again, in 2002-2003 while public school enrollment dropped by a further 1.3%, independent school enrollments swelled by 9.5%.

"And here we have Bountiful," says O'Neill, "a so-called 'eligible' independent school, while causing so much controversy - possibly even placing children at risk - was funded to the tune of $1.1 million in the last two years."

The Minister of Education recently stated that school inspectors continue to give Bountiful passing marks for their approach to education. (Suzanne Fournier, Vancouver Province, June 23, 2004)

"Perhaps we have to wonder what is going on in other publicly funded, private and independent schools," says O'Neill. "And to ask why the public is funding private schools of any kind?" The BC public has historically rejected public funding for private schools. Public funding of private and independent schools in BC only dates to 1977. O'Neill likens the public funding of private and independent schools to two-tiered health care. "Funding private schools is like funding private medical services, it creates a two-tiered system that takes resources away from the public system."

For more information on independent and private schools go to www.cupe.bc.ca and click on the green tower.
 
www.cupe.bc.ca
Originally published June 23, 2004
 
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