All Near North Board elementary and secondary schools are closed today (Wednesday) along with hundreds of English, public schools right across the province.

Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation members, including local high school teachers, educational workers and support staff are holding a one-day strike.

Local OSSTF President Glen Hodgson says they held an information picket outside MPP Vic Fedeli’s office yesterday in advance of today’s one day walkout.

“We tried the work to rule. We tried the information pickets. Nothing is changing at the table. We had no choice but to continue to change our strategies to try and force the government to meet with us and negotiate a fair deal,” he says.

Hodgson says key issues for the teachers are class sizes, mandatory e-learning and job cuts.

He’s hopeful parents understand why this one day strike is going ahead.

“They’re concerned about the one day strike. But I believe they are directing their concerns to the government and pressuring them to meet with us and to negotiate a fair deal that protects public education,” he says.

In a release, Fedeli says the government has made major moves that demonstrate a willingness to be reasonable and reach a deal that keeps kids in class.

He says the government has doubled mental health funding and increased investment in the skilled trades, math, STEM, and special education.

Fedeli says they reduced proposed changes to secondary classroom sizes and cut the number of required online learning courses from four to two.

He says It has been over 200 days since the government began bargaining with the teachers but not one of their proposals has changed.

 

(photos by station staff)

Filed under: glen-hodgson, mpp-vic-fedeli, osstf