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Premier living In nick schoolyard fight, say local educators With the kids Just back from March break, there are concerns they'll be In for a longer hole day at the sun of the next school year after a week of heated words directed at teachers by the provincial government But loaf teachers' umon offkaals say any job action m the [all depends on how local boards react to upcoming contract negotiations, as Clliiifitiiiffidt'i' Chronicle Staf teachers provmcewide refuse to respond to the govemment's "bullymg tactics" The provincial government wrapped up Its latest round of funding announcements; $190 mllhon In new funding for next year, wuh announcements about tightening up the defuw tton of instructional time, calls for teacher test- tng and making teacher participation In extracurricular acuvtues mandatory. But cnucs argued the attack on teachers hid the fact the funding wasnt enough to meet the projected increase in enrolment and the cost of inflation most boards have to deal wuh next year The new funding IS m (an a cut to educa- uon hidden by the increasingly hostile rhetoric towards the province's teachers. "The $190 mllhon that was announced a week ago IS a re-percent increase," said John Ryrie, president of the local chapter of the Omano Sec- ondary School Teachers' Federation. "We need 2.6 per cent to cope with inflation and also more students. It IS a CUC" 885-5090 While the province tries to turn attention away lrom the pmvincewtde cut to educanon by trying ‘0 "ban the teachers," Ryne said local teachers as well as their provincial counterpart wont engage m the government-sponsored debate over instructional tune and extracurricu- lar activities. "We think they're both phony Issues." said Kym. "They're an attempt to persuade the pulr lic that we're not working hard enough, which us (Continued-on page 5)