President Hammond responds to the proposed cuts in education spending
“Before ground rules could even be established, they tabled a proposal for $1.2 billion in cuts to public education,” states President Hammond. “Their proposal would have turned teacher working conditions back by decades. Since we had been invited to a voluntary process, we chose not to be a part of that type of discussion.”
He goes on to recognize the fiscal challenge but stresses that it has been overstated for the sake of political expediency. Improvements to education – lower class sizes, full-day kindergarten for example – should not be paid for by Ontario’s educators.
The Federation works hard to get the word out. The Executive, ETFO staff and local leaders embark on a barnstorming tour of the province, engaging the membership and educating the public on just what the government’s PDT proposal means.
Thousands of teachers, occasional teachers, DECEs, PSPs and ESPs attend sessions with ETFO leaders, beginning a process that will shape the roughly 76,000 members into a coherent political force.