Message from George Abbott: settlement reached for BC schools

June 30, 2012

On Friday night, the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) ratified its agreement (75.3% in favour) with the BC Public School Employers’ Association, ensuring that students and parents can look forward to next year with certainty.

Under the guidance of mediator Dr. Charles Jago, the BCTF and the

BCPSEA worked extremely hard to make progress and reached an agreement that provides a strong foundation for all parties to work together to improve our education system.

There are four general elements to the agreement:

•     The agreement respects the government’s net-zero mandate;

•     The contract runs until June 30, 2013;

•     There is improved language to manage leave provisions; and

•     The agreement includes a letter of understanding on a process to negotiate mutually agreeable changes to professional    development, evaluation and staffing procedures

Through the mediation process, the parties also reached an agreement to improve and standardize teacher benefit plans. This agreement will improve benefits for some teachers and generate significant administrative efficiencies.

I want to sincerely thank all teachers, administrators, trustees and school and district staff for their incredible resilience and dedication throughout this challenging school year.  We are very fortunate to have such dedicated educators and leaders in our education system and I am grateful for all they have done this year to ensure our students receive the best education possible.

This agreement reflects the commitment of our Premier and our Party to a deal that works for students, teachers, parents and taxpayers and is a key example of why British Columbia continues to enjoy a triple ‘A’ credit rating during times of global economic chaos.

With your support, our Party will continue to offer British Columbians a strong free-enterprise coalition that works hard to improve our world-class education system and protect taxpayers.

Sincerely,

George Abbott