Sylvie Paillard
[email protected]
The Howe Sound School District and each of its schools have decided how to spend $414,000 the Ministry of Education handed over following a mediator's recommendation that ended last October's 10-day teachers' strike.
In order to address class size and class composition, the district will spend $157,304 to hire 3.8 full time equivalent teachers for the remainder of the school year. That means more learning assistance and support teachers at each of the district's 13 schools.
"In negotiations with the board, I made it very clear that this money must be used to create teaching positions only," said Howe Sound Teachers' Association (HSTA) president Carl Walker. "It is undeniable that there are other very important priorities for teachers, however, the intent of this grant was very specific and it came out of actions that teachers were willing to take, at no small risk, to improve students' learning conditions."
The board found the process daunting because of the short time span they had to draw up a spending plan. But with the inclusiveness of all stakeholders, the district was able to send off their budget before the Jan. 10 deadline, according to Superintendent of Schools Erickson."In the district plan, what we did is we drew up a draft, then I met individually with reps from the Howe Sound Teachers Association (HSTA), from CUPE, from the principal's association and District Parental Advisory Council," said Erickson.
In an October announcement, strike mediator Vince Ready said the current class size scheme resulted in a number of classes in grades 4 to 12 that are too large for effective teaching. Ready recommended the government increase its commitment for learning conditions in the current fiscal year to $170 million from $150 million with the additional money being used to address class size and special needs.
The recommendation meant that Howe Sound would receive $50 per student to the school district and an additional $50 per student to each school.
Along with the new teachers, the district also approved spending plans drafted by each school and signed by the school's parental advisory representative to best improve and monitor student achievement and improvement.
"We should all be very proud of the actions we took in the fall," said HSTA president Carl Walker. "We are now seeing tangible benefits for students that came only as a result of teachers standing up for students. Of course, there remain many challenges ahead and we will continue to advocate for improved learning conditions for all students."
