I wish there was a way for taxpayers to choose which school system to support, because I would much rather have my money go to private schools. BCTF teachers have abandoned our children many times now, in their quest to increase their personal gains, and I hate the thought of my money going to fund their greed.

So this is a story about how a bad idea that was never planned isn't going to happen, after it came out that it never was going to?

Is this denial sort of like the 'HST is not on our radar' claim? Different faces, same government.

Private schools should NOT be funded by public money AT ALL. They are PRIVATE, exclusive, and, therefore, a CHOICE. One is free to make that choice, but, if they do, they can pay for it. In an era when 'user pay' is shoved down our throats, why are we funding a system that most of us cannot access?! Using funds that could be better spent funding the public system that is accessible to all?! If we refused to fund exclusive services, we might actually be able to afford to invest in services and infrastructure that serve everyone, not just those who can 'afford' access to what has ultimately been funded by those who cannot.

Ex BCTF leader trying to stir fear and panic by gossiping a rumour, later admitting it is an uncorroborated rumour. How unprofessional by a leader of any stripe. But BCTF typical.

They don't cover 50% of the operating cost of a private school. That is a straight up mistake/lie.

public school district grant amount per student * number of students * group percentage

2 groups for private schools

Group one gets 50%
Group two gets 35%

That is a percentage of the amount spent on a student in public school. For a private school to get that money the student must be a landed immigrant or citizen otherwise no government money. Also, if the kids misses a lot of time the school is out that money as well. The parents sign an agreement to cover the government subsidy if they do not qualify.

Fassbender is lying.

The system that will be rolled out on September 23 won't be referred to as "vouchers" but it will function in the exact same manner vouchers do.

As for "Us too please" - if you want to support a PRIVATE school system, shut up and pay tuition. NO private school should receive PUBLIC funds.

We don't have children in any school yet part of our taxes help support the public system. Should we say this is not fair, why should I be paying for your children.
Teachers are employees and are hired by the government, they can make recommendations but the employer has the final say. Quit holding the children as hostages. We are getting very tired of your high demands and saying it's for the children. BC is not a rich province like Alberta that is why your salaries are not equal. I personally do not want my taxes to increase to satisfy the teachers demand.

So, 'we' don't want to appropriately fund services, huh? I wonder how all these teacher haters will feel about their tax dollars being spent on court costs, lawyer fees, and fines? Yup. A whole lot of money that we'll have absolutely nothing to show for.
Politicians are supposed to be able to discern between a battle lost, and one worth fighting. This one is a lose-lose, so far as the public is concerned; a 'win' for the government will result in further deterioration of services; a 'lose' leaves us on the hook for the cost of waging the battle. Note that the BC Liberals themselves really have nothing at stake.
I wonder if the situation would be the same, if the party had to fund the battle, instead of having access to apparently limitless funds from the public. Is there a point at which the costs will outweigh the possible benefits? Is there an upper limit in the budget for litigation? How is litigation allocated as an expense? Under Education? Or General Operating costs? How much has been spent, and how much do we think the final tally will be? Where were the funds diverted from?

Why do you report unsubstantiated rumours? The parties involved in this dispute are distorting facts enough without the Straight's help.

Charlie Smith, please check that interview. What he categorically denied was that it would be announced at the UBCM, not that it would never happen. This is frightening.