Feb. 1, 2012 Ministry of Education

The teachers' union is running an advertisement claiming that "B.C. has 12,000 overcrowded classrooms..."

• The reality is that 95 per cent of public school classes in B.C. had 30 or fewer students, and 99 per cent had 32 or fewer students

The ad also claims B.C. has "...700 fewer special needs teachers than a decade ago..."

• The reality is that while the number of special education teachers has dropped, so too has the number of students overall, and the number of students with special needs specifically.

• However, the ratio of students with special needs to teachers has remained relatively constant.
• As well, the number of education assistants has increased over that period by 25 per cent.

Finally, the ad claims "...B.C. teacher salaries have fallen to 9th in Canada."

• The reality is that B.C. teachers' salaries rank 4th in Canada and their compensation aligns competitively with other B.C. workers in general when compared with other provinces.

Since 2000-01, the per-pupil grant has increased by an estimated $2,229 - an increase of 36 per cent.

This year, the average per-pupil grant is estimated to be $8,491.

Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963