The B.C. government is proposing a series of bold and innovative changes to achieve labour peace and a ten-year agreement with the province’s public-school teachers, Premier Christy Clark and Education Minister Don McRae announced today.

“The goal of a 10-year agreement is simple and ambitious - give Grade 2 students a chance to go their entire school career without a disruption,” said Clark. “Imagine the opportunities for students, parents and teachers in the classroom knowing classrooms would always be open. We need to work closely with teachers on our shared goal of improving B.C.’s education system, and we’re prepared to make some fundamental changes that put students first. This isn’t about the adults - it’s about what’s best for students.”

Government’s proposal, Working Together For Students: A Framework For Long Term Stability In Education, specifies that in return for a 10-year agreement, the government is prepared to offer public school teachers:

• A formal role in education policy decisions.
  
• A voice in allocating a $100-million Priority Education Investment Fund, available in the third year of an agreement.
  
• Salary certainty and fairness by indexing public school teacher salaries to increases in the B.C. public sector.

The framework also sets out a structured and transparent process that calls on professional mediators and conciliators to help resolve bargaining impasses.

“As a teacher and as minister, I know how beneficial it is for teachers to have a voice in the future of education,” said McRae. “Through this framework, we can strengthen that voice in matters such as funding and policy decisions. With a ten-year agreement, we can move past the strife and disruption of the past and focus on what matters most - working together for students and families across British Columbia.”

Learn More:

Working Together For Students: A Framework For Long Term Stability In Education, Toward A 10-Year Agreement With Public School Teachers: http://ow.ly/h4sZ4

Framework for a 10-year Agreement with Public School Teachers, presentation: http://ow.ly/h4sWW

Stakeholder submissions: http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/ministries/education/factsheets/stakeholder-submissions.html

Voice, Accountability and Dialogue: Recommendations for an Improved Collective Bargaining System for Teacher Contracts in British Columbia (Don Wright, 2004): http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/pubs/teacher/04_dec_final.pdf

>February 2007 Industrial Inquiry Commission, Final Report for Collective Bargaining Options, between the BCPSEA and the BCTF (Vince Ready, 2007): http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/pubs/teacher/07_bargaining_options.pdf

A backgrounder follows.

The B.C. government is proposing a framework for long-term stability in education comprised of four key elements:

• A dedicated $100-million Priority Education Investment Fund (PEIF) available in the third year of the agreement to address education priorities.
  
• A new Education Policy Council of representatives from government, the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and school-board trustees to advise government on public education policy priorities, including allocation of the PEIF.
  
• Indexing of public school teachers’ compensation to an average of other major B.C. public sector increases.
  
• A new structured and transparent bargaining process.

The first three elements - dedicated funding, the Education Policy Council and salary indexing - are contingent on achieving a 10-year labour agreement. The fourth element -- an improved bargaining process -- would introduce structured timelines, greater transparency on the costs and implications of bargaining items, and the use of optional mediation and mandatory conciliation to help resolve impasses.

The proposed approach responds to a number of issues raised by the BCTF, including:

• It allows teachers the right to strike.
  
• It provides teachers a formal opportunity to shape education policy.
  
• It provides teachers with a voice in funding strategic education priorities.
  
• It allows the BCTF to negotiate directly with government on provincial matters.

At the same time, this approach also reflects the priorities identified by local trustees, including:

• Revisiting the essential services designation.
  
• Transparent bargaining under clear timelines, as recommended by the Wright and Ready reports.
  
• Providing a stronger voice for trustees in education policy matters.

In developing the proposed framework, the Ministry of Education invited submissions from the partners directly impacted by the labour relationship with public-school teachers, including:

• B.C. Teachers’ Federation
  
• B.C. School Trustees’ Association
  
• BC Public School Employers’ Association
  
• BC School Superintendents’ Association
  
• B.C. Principals’ and Vice Principals’ Association
  
• BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils