Today, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce released a statement emphasizing the need for stability in elementary education. He highlighted the importance of consistency for young learners and emphasized the focus on core skills like reading, writing, and math.
Lecce announced a tentative central agreement with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), a move aimed at providing stability and preventing provincewide job actions or strikes in English-language public schools for the next three years. He urged other teachers’ unions to follow suit and emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring uninterrupted learning for all Ontario children.
The agreement encompasses over 59,000 ETFO members, including public elementary teachers and occasional teachers. Earlier, a similar agreement was reached with ETFO education workers in October. Moreover, central agreements have been achieved with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Ontario Council of Educational Workers (OCEW).
Furthermore, a process agreement was established with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) to ensure a strike-free school year for teachers and education workers.
