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March 7, 2012
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students:
Subject: BC Teachers' Federation Strike Action - All Classes resume Thursday, March 8, 2012
We wish to confirm that all classes will resume tomorrow, Thursday, March 8, 2012. Schools in North Vancouver School District will open for instruction at their regularly scheduled times.
We encourage you to stay informed about any further strike action. Information updates will be provided on our School District website.
John Lewis
Superintendent of Schools
North Vancouver School District
Superintendent@nvsd44.bc.ca
March 1, 2012
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students:
Subject: British Columbia Teachers’ Federation Strike Action – March 5, 6, and 7, 2012
The British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) served notice this morning that teachers throughout the Province of BC will strike for three days beginning Monday, March 5th and continuing through Wednesday, March 7, 2012.
Student safety is our first priority and a shared responsibility. Parents and guardians are advised to keep their child at home and/or make alternate arrangements for their supervision during the time that teachers are on strike. Although schools will remain open during the strike action by the BCTF, no instruction will be provided to students.
The BC Labour Relations Board has ordered:
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BC teachers may strike for up to three consecutive days without seriously disrupting students' education, as long as they provide at least two school days notice
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After that, they may legally withdraw their services for one day each week without violating the law that declares education an essential service
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The LRB ruling states that "during any job action, BCTF members will not picket, block access or egress or otherwise restrict or cause to be restricted in any way, the full and complete access to schools by members of all support unions or impede the operation of other employers who occupy the same premises as schools or school districts.”
Under the Labour Relations Board Order, community and private day-cares, preschools, before and after-school programs, lessees, renters, and contractors that are located at schools or School District facilities are not to be impacted by the BCTF strike.
Next week was scheduled as Education Week in North Vancouver School District, a week-long celebration of students, teaching, and learning. Several extra-curricular events were planned. Unfortunately, we may be required to cancel or reschedule events. We will do our utmost to keep you informed of all changes.
The Government has introduced legislation to resolve the strike action. If Bill 22 is passed into law, it will impose a cooling off period until August 31, 2012. We will provide parents with updates at the earliest opportunity as more information becomes known. Information updates will be posted on our website homepage at http://www.nvsd44.bc.ca. We encourage you to stay informed.
We hope that labour negotiations will be speedily concluded so that normal school operations will resume as quickly as possible.
Yours sincerely,
John Lewis
Superintendent of Schools
North Vancouver School District
Superintendent@nvsd44.bc.ca
For a print copy, please click here.
February 23, 2012
Letter to Parents/Guardians:
Student Assessment - Reporting Student Progress
The purpose of this letter is to provide information to parents and guardians regarding the second semester reporting and parent-teacher interviews that usually take place during the months of March and April.
Although the Assistant Deputy Minister, Industrial Relations, has reached the conclusion that it is very unlikely that the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) and the BC Teachers Federation (BCTF) will be able to reach a voluntary settlement, the ongoing labour dispute will impact the reporting of student progress this spring.
As you may already know, the BC Labour Relations Board essential services order currently provides that teachers need not:
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Prepare or distribute report cards, or
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Provide any student assessment data to principals or school office staff, except Grade 12 marks required for graduation, post-secondary applications and scholarship purposes.
The North Vancouver Teachers’ Association (NVTA) has indicated that teachers will continue to focus on instruction and will continue to assess student progress. They have also confirmed that teachers may continue to communicate with parents in informal meetings, phone calls, and emails to discuss student progress.
Although at this time teachers need not prepare or distribute report cards during the continued Phase 1 job action, they are recording attendance and assessing and evaluating your son/daughter on a regular basis. Teachers can provide you with your child’s attendance and progress in their areas of instruction.
For students with Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) the NVTA has indicated that teachers should meet/talk with parents and review progress on the IEP goals and objectives as needed. Teachers should provide written updates regarding IEP goals and objectives to parents where needed and/or requested.
Parents are encouraged to arrange a meeting with the teacher(s) to discuss their child’s progress and identify areas of concern and ways to support learning. Schools have posted the staff directory to their school websites to help facilitate contact with teachers.
We understand students and parents traditionally rely on the valuable information contained in report cards. If any concern arises regarding communications between teachers and parents during this phase of job action, parents may wish to contact the NVTA office (604.988.3224) or the school principal or vice principal.
Regular updates are provided on the North Vancouver School District’s website, through your principal, and your school’s e-mail system.
Thank you for your understanding and patience as we continue to work through job action.
John Lewis
Superintendent of Schools
North Vancouver School District
Superintendent@nvsd44.bc.ca
For a print copy, please click here.
February 10, 2012 Abbott welcomes inquiry into teacher bargaining process
Opinion-Editorial by George Abbott, Minister of Education
VICTORIA - Since being appointed Education Minister last March, I've had the pleasure of visiting 95 schools and half of the province's 60 school districts. I've met with hundreds of teachers, students, parents and administrators. Every visit and every meeting has only reinforced in my mind that British Columbia has a great education system, filled with people who are passionate about what they do.
I've seen first-hand how important teachers are to student success. I also know how important it is for teaching assistants, administrators, principals, parents and teachers to work together to support learning. It takes co-operation and a team of people to help students reach their full potential. Unfortunately, the current teacher's strike makes this kind of co-operation virtually impossible. Teachers are not attending staff meetings nor any other meetings at which the principal is present. There are no collaborative meetings between teachers, principals, vice-principals, district staff and education assistants. There are no written communications with principals, whether they are student marks, progress reports, or report cards. Unfortunately, it is often the very students most in need of our educational teams who bear the brunt of the union's actions. Almost a year ago, employers and the teachers' union sat down to negotiate a new contract. We made it clear from the outset that we had a net-zero mandate. But employers also wanted to talk about how to improve benefits for teachers, how to ensure the right teachers are matched to the right jobs, and how to support good teachers so they can become great teachers.
Then last fall, government put $165 million in new funding on the table to deal with class composition issues. And yet - like everything else we brought forward - the teachers union walked away from discussions on how to best use those funds. Their singular focus has been to secure a large salary increase - 15 percent over three years -- and other major compensation improvements estimated at over $2 billion. Despite 11 months of negotiations and nearly 80 bargaining sessions, there are few signs of progress. We have successfully negotiated agreements with all other major public sector unions. The teachers' union, unfortunately, steadfastly refuses to accept British Columbia's economic and financial reality. The union's proposal to increase personal income taxes by 25 per cent to pay for their wage demands is completely unreasonable and ignores the needs and challenges of families across this province. The strike is having a real impact on students and creating a strain in our schools and classrooms. There is rising anxiety, frustration and concern amongst all educational partners about the length of time this dispute has gone on and the impact on 500,000 students across British Columbia. Government would prefer to negotiate an agreement, but we cannot let the current impasse drift indefinitely. I am simply not prepared to see a school year pass without every parent in B.C. getting a fulsome accounting of how their children are progressing in school. I am particularly concerned about the impact on vulnerable students. This past week, in an effort to resolve this issue, I asked Labour Minister Margaret MacDiarmid to appoint a neutral party to inquire into the status of negotiations. It may well be that this individual can find reasons to be optimistic about continuing negotiations - or it may be that government will need to look at other ways to resolve the dispute. This past fall, we announced BC's new Education Plan to transform education and better prepare students for the 21st century. It has been a great success. Now, more than ever, we want teachers to work with all the educational partners to improve our system. But to move forward, we need to restore some degree of normalcy to what remains of the school year. And I sincerely hope the neutral party, working with the employers and the teachers union, can help us find that constructive path.
George Abbott
Minister of Education
February 10, 2012 Labour, Citizens' Services and Open Government Minister Margaret MacDiarmid has instructed the assistant deputy minister of industrial relations to report on the likelihood of a negotiated settlement between the BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) and the BC Public School Employers' Association (BCPSEA). "Minister Abbott has asked for and I have agreed to seek an expert assessment of whether or not the parties will be able to reach a negotiated settlement," said Minister MacDiarmid. "During this process, I encourage the union and the employers' association to continue working towards an agreement and hope they can reach a resolution to this matter on their own." Trevor Hughes, Assistant Deputy Minister, Industrial Relations, will meet with the parties over the next two weeks and provide a report to Minister MacDiarmid by Thursday, February 23, 2012.
Ministry of Labour, Citizens' Services and Open Government
News Release - February 9, 2012 |
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August 31, 2011 Questions and Answers for Parents and the Community Job Action and North Vancouver Schools Overview
The most recent collective agreement between the BC Teachers’ Federation and BC Public School Employers’ Association expired at the end of June. Negotiations for a new provincial collective agreement have now resumed. At this time, we are hopeful that a new contract can be achieved that is satisfactory to everyone and we approach our responsibilities to the bargaining process with professionalism and optimism. The BCTF will commence Phase 1 job action in all school districts in British Columbia on September 6, 2011. Please be aware that all schools are open as usual. During Phase 1 of job action, teachers throughout the province are withdrawing from administrative meetings and related tasks. They may not prepare or distribute report cards, except Grade 12 marks required for graduation, post-secondary applications or scholarship purposes. The North Vancouver School District acknowledges that the BCTF is participating in legal job action. During this time, the District is committed to making every reasonable effort to continue to support student learning. Questions and Answers Has job action been initiated by the British Columbia Teacher’s Federation?
72 hours’ strike notice was served on August 31st by the BCTF and Phase 1 job action will commence on September 6, 2011. Any subsequent phase of job action will require notice from the BCTF and approval by the Labour Relations Board. Will there be picket lines at my child’s school on September 6th?
There are no picket lines in Phase 1 of job action. How will students be supervised during recess and lunch hour?
In the North Vancouver School District, CUPE employees and school-based administrators (principals and vice principals) provide supervision services for students during recess and lunch hour. This is part of our standard service model, and is not impacted during Phase 1 job action. What services will teachers perform at the start of the school year?
Teachers will teach in the classroom, prepare and plan lessons, perform—but not distribute— assessment, evaluations and marking. For the first few days of September, they are also expected to participate in basic activities of school start-up for the year. I heard that teachers will not provide report cards for students during job action. Is this true? How can I stay informed of my child’s progress?
Yes, this is a service which teachers are permitted to withdraw from performing. However, the first scheduled report cards of the year are not released until November. We are hopeful that an agreement will be reached before that time. If you have questions about your child’s progress, please contact your child’s teacher directly. If you have difficulty accessing them, please contact the North Vancouver Teacher’s Association (NVTA) for advice on how to proceed. The NVTA can be reached at: 604.988.3224. My child has designated special needs. Will my child’s teacher be available to discuss their situation if necessary?
Teachers will continue to communicate with administrators regarding students with special needs as necessary. Teachers are expected to continue to support activities directly related to the health and safety of students. If you have concerns about your child and experience difficulty contacting your child’s teacher during job action, please contact the NVTA (as above) or your school’s principal or vice principal. Will there be any extra-curricular activities at school this fall?
During Phase 1 of the strike, extra-curricular activities are not affected and they may continue if teachers choose to lead/sponsor them. Will there still be Pro-D days during job action?
There has been no change to the school calendar at this time. Pro-D days remain in effect. Can my school host its traditional “Welcome Back Barbeque” or similar events?
Yes. These types of events are PAC sponsored and not affected by teachers’ job action. Where can I get current updates on the status of the job action?
As discussions proceed, there are several options available to stay up to date. The British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association facebook page will provide regular updates, and you can also visit their website, and subscribe to their RSS feeds at: http://www.bcpsea.bc.ca/ The BCPSEA’s “Video Series on Essential Services” is a good place to begin. As well, we will provide updates to parents through our standard “Schools Connects” email system, as well as a new online channel The Superintendent’s Blog. You’ll find the blog link at: http://blog44.ca/superintendent How will this job action affect the entire school year?
While negotiations are now at a very significant stage, it’s important not to lose sight of the strong position in which we begin this school year. As a school district, it is our commitment to provide services to students to the very best of our abilities, regardless of the duration of any job action.
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