NORTH Vancouver's popular Outdoor School might sit empty next fall, and some workers at the facility could be laid off, if the current B.C. teachers' job action continues.
The protest began in April, and prohibits teachers from taking part in voluntary extra-curricular activities, such as supervising field trips. While excursions to North Vancouver's popular Outdoor School haven't yet been affected, the school district is preparing for the possibility.
"It puts a question mark over the outdoor school because it's an overnight program," said superintendent John Lewis.
The school district is developing a contingency plan that may involve laying off some of the CUPE staff who work at the school in jobs like food services.
"We would look at potentially laying off some full-time people, and then having the ability to have casuals," said Lewis. "Casuals could work three days one week, and then if it were empty one week they wouldn't be called out."
Given the importance of the Outdoor School, a North Vancouver tradition for over 40 years, Lewis said he hopes the North Vancouver Teachers' Association will consider exempting the school from the job action.
"This has occurred in previous labour disputes where there is the ability for a (union) local to exempt a particular program or service, and we have made that request to the North Vancouver Teachers' Association," said Lewis.
Daniel Storms, president of the North Vancouver Teachers' Association, said that his local is telling teachers they can choose to supervise field trips to the Outdoor School during the day, but they should not volunteer their time after the end of the normal school day.
"We at the NVTA have wrestled with this program . . . because teachers have said, well notwithstanding the BCTF's (position) we want to do it whether they say we can or not," said Storms.
When the teachers sign off for the day, said Storms, administrators such as principals and vice-principals can take over supervising students. He said the teachers association is open to other overnight field trips operating on the same model.
"A lot of the field trips have been cancelled because the school district hasn't wanted to add additional supervision to cover that voluntary component," said Storms.
The job action will continue until at least the end of June, when it will be reviewed by union members. Teachers have been without a contract since June 2011. Legislation passed by the provincial government in February 2012 prohibits teachers from striking.
