Education Minister Stephen Lecce appeared to offer an olive branch to unions yesterday as the staredown between Ontario teachers and the provincial government continues.
But a Simcoe County teachers' bargaining unit president says it's all “smoke and mirrors" in at attempt to confuse parents and students.
At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Lecce announced the government will back down on their plan to increase class sizes and the new mandatory e-learning courses.
Lecce said that in 2020-21, secondary class sizes will remain “effectively the same” as this year at 23 students per class, and teachers will remain in their jobs.
On the issue of mandatory e-learning, Lecce said the government would step back that proposal and allow parents to decide which way is best for their child to learn.
“Parents know best about how their children can adapt and learn, through online courses,” Lecce said. “By giving parents the option to opt out of mandatory online courses required for graduation, parents, not unions, will make the decision that is best for their children.”
Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop urged unions to work with the government.
“This is another reasonable step in the right direction, to ensure that students remain in class,” said Dunlop in a press release issued last night.
“It is time for teacher union federations to work with all parties in good-faith to reach a deal and put an end to continued strike action that disproportionately affects our children," she added.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin agreed.
“This is not caving,” she said Wednesday morning. “Mr. Lecce has offered time and time again to meet with private mediators, but everytime he comes to the table, there are new elements brought up to him. I am not in bargaining sessions, but if I was in his shoes, I can imagine it would be frustrating.”
There is a scheduled strike day for all Simcoe County secondary schools tomorrow (March 5) unless a tentative agreement can be reached.
Khanjin hopes that changes sometime today.
“We’ve been receiving calls and emails from parents who are frustrated and feel that the teachers are striking against them,” she said. “We have been bargaining in good faith and if this all about class sizes, we should be back in class this week.”
Local Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) bargaining unit president Jen Hare, who represents District 17 Simcoe County, said she was shocked by Lecce's “smoke and mirrors tactic."
“We were blocks away from Mr. Lecce, waiting at a bargaining table for him, but he chose to go to the media and make a statement that is not an offer,” she said Wednesday.
“We can’t take a video clip of him and ask members to vote on it," Hare added. "There are discussions needed to iron out details.”
Hare says it was a ploy by the government to vilify the teachers and stressed the message is full of misinformation.
“People will see his comments and wonder why we’re striking (Thursday),” she said. “Again, we have no offer, and the government sees that the parents have been understanding and siding with us and they’re trying to stop that by having these press conferences.”
Hare urged people to be leary of rhetoric used before an agreement is in place.
“The average class size is not 23, so they’re not maintaining it; it is still going up from 22. That also means if a class size is lower in a smaller community then it can be higher in bigger cities,” she said. “And we have no idea how the e-learning opt-out would work. How do parents do that? It isn’t going to be as easy as switching classes. What are the details?”
According to Hare, Lecce is meeting with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) today.
The OSSTF has yet to hear from Lecce on any future bargaining date.
