School boards 'in limbo' with big teacher union

Education minister refuses to commit to key funding demand

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Louise Brown

Ontario school boards say they face labour "limbo" this fall after Education Minister Kathleen Wynne failed to pledge funding that would have brought elementary teachers back to the bargaining table.

Speaking yesterday to the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, Wynne refused to pledge an extra $711 for each elementary student to match what the union claims Queen's Park gives each high school student – a move the union says is a condition for returning to labour talks with the province.

Instead, Wynne noted – to sporadic applause from the crowd of 600 Ontario teachers – that her government has reduced the funding gap since taking office, and plans to keep funding smaller classes, give more preparation time, require less hall supervision and grant teachers a 3 per cent raise for each of the next four years – all terms embraced already in agreements with Catholic and French-language teachers' unions.

Elementary federation president David Clegg said he did not hear a clear enough promise from Wynne to warrant returning to talks.

"There is a relationship of respect between this government and teachers, but we did not hear the commitment to eliminate that funding gap, and that's what we were waiting for," said Clegg. "We will not sign a long-term agreement that does not eliminate that gap."

This standoff puts school boards "in limbo" on labour peace, said Rick Johnson, past president of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association, which had joined consultations since February with the province and union until the federation's teachers walked out in May.

"Kids should not be held up for ransom by anyone and, if we don't see a resolution to this situation, programs are going to start being affected. Parents are going to get angry and, then, there goes the public confidence in education that we've worked to rebuild in the last few years," said Johnson.

The federation demands add up to about $890 million for its schools.

Clegg said he would try to clarify how far Wynne's government is prepared to go to reduce the gap, adding he did not expect any classroom interruption before 2009.

Teachers are paid roughly the same in elementary and high schools, said Clegg, but Ontario gives school boards more overall for high schools than for elementary schools, based on often outdated formulas. He noted the McGuinty government has reduced that gap by 40 per cent but insisted there is no longer any excuse for any gap.

Teachers at French and Catholic boards have signed a basic four-year "framework agreement," granting them a 3 per cent raise for each of the next four years and raising prep time each week to 240 minutes from 200, which Wynne said could create 1,500 more jobs, if public elementary schools agreed.

Any federation that does not sign this four-year agreement will be funded instead for a 2 per cent raise for each year of a two-year contract.

Wynne noted 68,000 fewer students enrolled in the past five years.

With files from Kristin Rushowy