Ontario elementary teachers vote in favour of deal with province, school boards, union says
The union that represents Ontario elementary teachers says its members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of accepting a tentative agreement with public school boards and the province.
In a news release, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) said the ratification vote by teachers and occasional teachers was 90 per cent in favour of the 2022-2026 central agreement with the Ontario Public School Boards' Association and the Ontario government.
The union said the deal would run from Sept. 1, 2022 to Aug. 31, 2026 but it must still be ratified by the school boards to take effect. The vote by school boards is scheduled for next week.
"While this round of bargaining was exceptionally lengthy and difficult, ETFO members stood firm in the face of cuts, pressed for improvements to working and learning conditions, and won," ETFO President Karen Brown said in the release.
"This agreement is proof that the legal bargaining process works when it's allowed to unfold as intended."
According to the union, highlights of the deal include:
Funding for 401 full-time equivalent new specialist teaching positions for the 2024-2025 school year and an increase in funding for the following two school years to maintain those positions.
Specialist teachers will fully relieve all Year 2 of Kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2 classroom teachers of their instructional duties while classroom teachers administer a screening test to students in their classrooms.
Specialist teachers will provide intensive reading support to students who need it and directly administer any additional screening tests, as required.
Preservation of the Support for Students Fund (SSF) that funds 432.7 elementary teaching positions, who work directly with students in such areas as special education, Indigenous student supports, English language learner supports, mental health/well-being, behaviour, self-regulation and social-emotional needs.
The deal also includes new measures to address violence in schools, including a revision of the provincial code of conduct and school board codes of conduct to address behaviour, consequences, and safety; a requirement for all schools to have signs that outline behaviour expectations; a new letter of agreement on paid violence prevention health and safety training; renewal of a provincial working group on health and safety, with a new mandate that it prioritize violence prevention in its work; and new violent incident debriefing training for union members.
As well, the deal provides:
Preservation of sick leave and short-term leave entitlements.
Referral of compensation increases (salary and daily occasional teacher rate) to arbitration.
A Bill 124 remedy for 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, with a referral to arbitration for a remedy for 2021-2022.
ETFO represents about 80,000 teachers and occasional teachers, and 3,500 designated early childhood educators, education support personnel, and professional support personnel.
Union locals that represented members who are teachers and occasional teachers will now work with their respective school boards to negotiate local collective agreements, the union said.
