Parents, school trustee candidates and anyone else with burning questions for Nanaimo teachers are invited to attend a series of open houses at the union's headquarters starting today (Oct. 25).
Derek DeGear, president of the Nanaimo District Teachers' Association, said union staff are inviting the public to come talk with them at the union office on Barons Road today, Wednesday and Thursday from 3-6 p.m.
A myriad of phone calls about teacher job action that union staff have fielded since the beginning of the school year partly prompted the open house, but DeGear said the event is to discuss any type of educational issues.
He expects to hear about a range of issues, from special needs supports to job action-related queries.
"The agenda is determined by the people who come in," said DeGear. "We encourage anybody with questions or concerns, parent or non-parent, anybody from the community at large who wants to come in and discuss education issues, we'd be happy to have them. We have no problems with tough questions or deep discussions."
This week was thought appropriate for the open houses because it is when teachers usually have formal meetings with parents leading up to report card time, he added.
Due to the job action, formal parent-teacher meetings and report cards are not happening, but teachers are expected to communicate with parents in other ways, said DeGear.
The NDTA office is at 3137 Barons Rd. Please call 250-756-1237 for more information.