The dispute between the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) has caused little material damage to school districts so far, other than widespread summer school cancellations, but with less than a fortnight until schools are due to reopen, there are fears that it may not be resolved in time for the beginning of the new academic year affecting some 11,000 international students.

“Agents will pursue what they might deem to be more stable destinations – some already have for summer programmes and for a small number of students for the Fall intake”

Randall Martin, Executive Director of the British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE), told The PIE News that both sides acknowledge that the province will suffer “reputational damage” if classes are disrupted.

“Agents will pursue what they might deem to be more stable destinations – some already have for summer programmes and for a small number of students for the Fall intake,” he confirmed.

“This is not a happy situation for any of the parties, whose primary concern is the students,” he added, but said that “only time will tell” whether the loss of summer programmes will have a long term impact.

International students account for just under 10% of K-12 students in the province. In 2014, some 11,000 of BC’s 14,000 international students attended public schools.

For the Greater Victoria school district, whose international programmes bring in CAN$10mn a year, a delayed opening could be “traumatic”, Dave Scott, director of the district’s international division, said.

He concurred with Martin that some of the district’s 1,000 or more students may use the cancellation policies in their agreements to return home or move to schools in other provinces and added that the loss of summer school programming will make it harder to market for next year.

“Teachers hope the government is finally ready to compromise to get a negotiated settlement.”

The disputes centres around calls by public school teachers for a wage increase, which they say they have not had since July 2010, and a number of measures to increase student support, including smaller class sizes, more one-on-one support and specialist teachers for students who most need it

Negotiations are subject to a media blackout, but Martin said the sector is “hopeful” that the situation will be resolved soon.

Education Minister Peter Fassbender said the government does not intend to legislate teachers back to work.

“We want a negotiated settlement at the table,” he told reporters. “We have said that we are not prepared to continue the cycle of legislated solutions with the BCTF.”

In the meantime, authorities have begun to put in place emergency measures in case negotiations cut into term time.

The BC government this week launched a website providing updates for parents, and the Ministry of Finance recently announced it would provide CAN$40 to parents of children under 13 for every day of cancelled classes for childcare.