Public school board teachers stage one-day strike, picket outside MPP Romano’s office (8 photos)

Algoma District School Board (ADSB) high school teachers, educational workers and noon hour aides, represented by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF), joined educators from several other Ontario public school boards Wednesday in a one-day strike.

Wednesday’s job action marked the latest one-day strike held by teachers and other educational workers in the past few months, in continuing protest against the provincial government’s educational policies.

Teachers are opposed to increased class sizes, especially at the secondary level, and mandatory e-learning scheduled to start in September.

Teachers and other educational workers also want a two per cent per year salary increase, while the province wants the union to accept one per cent per year.

Teachers contracts expired Aug. 31.

“We’re waiting for the government to get back to the table and talk to us about the issues,” said Michele McCleave-Kennedy, an ADSB educational assistant who also serves as Sault Ste. Marie Labour Council president, speaking to SooToday with a large group of striking teachers and other educational workers gathered outside Sault MPP Ross Romano’s constituency office.

“The issues for us, locally, are e-learning. We all know broadband doesn’t work properly in northern Ontario (in rural areas such as the Algoma district). That’s one of the commitments the government said it would do, is work on the broadband.”

In spring 2019, the province wanted high school students to take four mandatory e-learning courses, but has recently reduced that number to two.

“Whether they do four or two, if the broadband is not working, it does not matter...this hasn’t been thought out (by the government). Not all students are successful at e-learning, so we don’t want it to be mandatory. It can be used for students who are opting for it, but to mandate everyone, especially students with special needs, is not a realistic expectation for those students,” McCleave-Kennedy said.

The government also, last spring, wanted to increase secondary school class sizes from an average of 22 students to 28 students, since reducing that target to an average of 25 students in high school classrooms.

“We want it to stay at 22...there are realistically not enough people to service those students, along with special needs students,” McCleave-Kennedy said.

The standardized math test is scheduled for next Monday, but teachers have stopped preparing students for the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) exam.

Due to the large number of employees taking part in Wednesday’s job action, both secondary and elementary schools within the Algoma District School Board were closed for student safety reasons.

Classes will resume Thursday.

Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board (H-SCDSB) schools were open Wednesday, having approximately 30 employees, all noon-hour aides, represented by OSSTF.

Wednesday’s one-day ADSB strike involved over 400 secondary teachers, including occasional teachers, and over 700 educational support staff and early childhood educators, as well as H-SCDSB noon hour aides.

In addition to the outside of MPP Romano’s Bay Street office, picket lines were also set up, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at  Superior Heights Secondary School on North Street and the Algoma District School Board office on Albert Street.

Picket lines were also planned for high school sites in Central Algoma, Wawa, Chapleau, Hornepayne, Blind River and Elliot Lake. 

Other boards involved in Wednesday’s one-day strike include the Greater Essex County District School Board, Avon Maitland District School Board, Peel District School Board, Limestone District School Board and Renfrew County District School Board.

Schools within the Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l’Ontario were also affected.

The OSSTF represents secondary, continuing and adult education teachers (contract and occasional), educational assistants (EAs), early childhood educators (ECEs), secretaries and administrative office staff, library technicians and noon hour assistants.