The Editor,
Re. "Travel, expenses necessary to build a ‘global network,’ says SD43 head" (The Tri-City News, Dec. 5).
School District 43 superintendent Patricia Gartland has a lot of nerve incurring more than $73,000 in travel expenses, ostensibly to promote the district's international education program. The claim is that it builds a global network.
I'm all for educational partnerships and sharing of ideas but these travels and expenses that result are very suspect. Former premier Christy Clark and the BC Liberal government gutted the provincial education budget. Students who achieve great results do so because of dedicated teachers and in spite of, not because of, trustees. Until the education funding is restored to its former level, there is no justification for jet-setting all over the place.
Trustees are supposed to be the guardians and advocates for students and teachers, not spending public money in this way. They should listen to the teachers and researchers who are in the trenches locally and follow their advice. They're the ones with a stake in improving education here.
That $73,000 could have gone a long way to improving things locally.
Lorell Gingrich, Coquitlam
