Special-needs students treated shamefully

Some children with special needs are being asked to stay home, according to parents in the capital region. The reason, apparently, is that there are insufficient educational assistants to work with these children. But the problem extends far beyond Greater Victoria. In 2017, the B.C. Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils surveyed more than 800 parents, provincewide, whose children had special needs. Nearly half said their kids were prevented from attending school full time.

Colin Roberts, speaking on behalf of the Greater Victoria School District, was frank about the underlying cause of this disgrace. It stemmed, he said, from the court decision that upheld the union’s right to negotiate class size.

That ruling forced the Education Ministry to begin hiring hundreds of additional teachers and construct the classrooms to go with them. With money tight, the axe had to fall somewhere, and it fell, indefensibly, on the least empowered.

This is an unacceptable situation. For a start, other solutions were available.

There are four school boards in the capital region, and together they report administration costs of $11.7 million. Yet cities with populations far larger than Greater Victoria manage with just one board.

It should be possible to save at least $6 million in duplicate bureaucracy through some form of merger. With the salary of an educational assistant averaging about $50,000, that would permit the hiring of more than 100 — enough to fill the gap, or at least come close.

However, there is a broader angle to consider. The need for some additional teachers is undisputed. After two decades of declining pupil numbers, we’re finally seeing an uptick. That would certainly justify some new hires.

There is also evidence that smaller classes benefit kids in the early grades, though the gains are limited.

But when it comes to the later grades, the case is weaker. Understandably, studies conducted by educators tend to favour smaller teacher-student ratios. On the other hand, disinterested researchers are often unconvinced that a significant benefit exists.

Yet there is not the slightest question that special-needs students gain greatly from the help of educational assistants. It’s possible then, that the government could reallocate at least some of the resources needed to hire more teachers with no harm to student outcomes.

Sadly, our school system appears to have chosen the easy way out. Rather than making reasonable economies, the children who benefit most from proper care and attention have been sent home. This looks all too much like neglecting the most needy for the sake of a quiet life.

Here is a counter-proposal. Approach the teachers’ union and ask for a delay in hiring some of the additional teachers while educational assistants are recruited.

Would the union agree? Greg Hansman, head of the B.C. Teachers Federation, has called the situation unacceptable. He says he has been pushing Education Minister Rob Fleming on this matter for months.

That’s all fine and good, but is Hansman also willing to step up and do his part? It’s clear there are insufficient resources to satisfy all needs.

The government is nursing a paper-thin surplus, and while we don’t know what next week’s budget might bring, the necessity for compromise is obvious.

The chances of that happening under the previous B.C. Liberal administration were slim to non-existent. There was not an iota of trust on either side. But with an NDP government in power, the union has a partner it can work with.

And it is essential that work starts now. If there is one value above all others that our school system stands for, it is helping the neediest kids get ahead.

As things stand, that value has been neglected, to the shame of everyone involved.