A group of parents in North Vancouver rallied to make sure elementary school track and field athletes got to have their district track meet Tuesday - despite the rotating teachers strike.
"We made it happen," said parent and organizer Matt Young at the end of the event Tuesday. "It was a great day for all the kids."
Last week, when the teachers' union announced a strike in North Vancouver for June 3, school district officials cancelled the year-end track meet, which typically sees between 1,500 and 1,800 kids from 26 schools competing at Swangard Stadium.
When news came out that the event would be cancelled, many parents were outraged, said Young, whose own sons compete in track.
"This event is the end-of-the-year grand finale for the kids who have participated in track and field," said Young.
Some parents were doubly upset, because it would have been the second time in four years the Swangard meet has been cancelled over a teachers' labour dispute.
Then something else happened. Parents decided, "this is not OK," said Desiree Kranenvijk, whose son also competes in track. "The kids have worked so hard. We just decided to take matters into our own hands."
Parents spent the weekend getting the necessary liability insurance, permits and equipment in place and rounding up 100 volunteers to help with everything from measuring results to handing out ribbons. They worked with the 60 Minutes Kids Club, a national charity founded by Young.
On Tuesday, the track meet went ahead, with over 1,000 participants.
"I don't think most of the kids noticed a difference," said Young.
Kranenvijk said she's not blaming the teachers for the cancellation, although some other parents were.
"They have spent hours training and practising with these kids," she said. "I understand where they're coming from but I am a little bit exasperated with the two parties not being able to come to consensus.
"We are caught in the middle whether they like it or not."
Young said since word got out, he's been receiving emails from parents in other districts who are also learning their school events have been cancelled and are looking to him for advice.
Daniel Storms, president of the North Vancouver Teachers Association, said the teachers didn't deliberately pick Tuesday to strike. Decisions are made provincially by the teachers' union, and "it would be difficult to not impact some event somewhere," regardless of the date, he said. "We wouldn't be deliberately setting the date to cancel a track meet," he said. "Obviously, some people are upset. That's understandable."
Storms added the effort of the parent volunteers in pulling off the track meet is still "built on hundreds of hours that teachers give to prepare the students for that track meet."
On the picket line outside Lynn Valley elementary Tuesday, Grade 4 teacher Carol Tallman said while the track meet is a very visible event for parents, "there's lots of other things that are going ahead" despite the strike - from grad ceremonies to field trips.
"It's unfortunate we have to be out here," she said.
"Many of us feel strongly we're fighting for kids education."
Class size and composition are key issues in the dispute, she said. "Each year, classes have been full to the max."
With high numbers of special needs kids and fewer supports, "It's almost impossible to do a good job," she said.
According to Ministry of Education statistics, there are 629 classes in North Vancouver schools with four or more special needs students, compared to 209 classes six years ago.
Tallman said she's seen classes with as many as 10 special needs students.
Besides issues of cla ss size and composition, teachers have asked for a 13.7 per cent wage increase over four years. The government has offered 7.3 per cent over six years.
On Wednesday, the Labour Relations Board is expected to rule on whether it is legal for school boards to cut teachers' pay by 10 per cent on the days they work as a result of a partial lockout.
Storms said he remains "cautiously optimistic" that an agreement can still be reached by the end of the school year.
Meanwhile, students at Handsworth secondary in North Vancouver staged a lunchtime walkout on Friday to make a point about being caught in the middle of the dispute. More student walkouts could happen June 4.
