The Editor,
Re. "Chevron $ up for the taking in Tri-Cities" (The Tri-City News, Nov. 21).
Thank you for your article on Chevron's Fuel your School grant program. I am a support worker in School District 43 and was unaware of the program funding current projects in our schools.
I tend to support Coquitlam Teachers' Association president Charley King's opinion that a one-time, no-strings-attached, unadvertised corporate funding program such as this is somewhat suspicious. Yes, we all buy gas and know that the litres are laden with taxes, but we have a provincial government with a Ministry of Education that falls short of doing its job.
Parent advisory councils are already calling for year-round fundraising from their communities to support their individual schools. In addition, supermarkets are distributing cards offering 5% to charitable groups including schools.
All of which prompts the question: How does a school board's fiscal management reflect the true needs of a district when these kinds of subsidizing programs are helping classrooms function?
Laurie L. Jones-Canta, Coquitlam
