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eg ~~, 4 - PORT PERRY "WEEKEND STAR" > A I BEES PRN" Tm P= FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2000 Teachers, Minister squaring off again Battle lines drawn on education bill By Rik Davie Special to the Star Public school teachers in Durham Region are calling the latest education legislation a direct attack on their civil rights by the Minister of Education. Bill C-74, the latest in many recent changes to the educa- tion system and the way it is governed in Ontario, sets out new regulations governing teaching time, and the powers of the government over teach- ers and school boards in the province. Earlier this week Minister of Education Janet Ecker stepped back from one part of the bill that would have made extracur- ricular activities mandatory. But Durham secondary school teachers, who have withdrawn participation in extracurricular activities, say that part of the bill is the least of their concerns. Shelly Page, president of Local 13 of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF), said the bill has teachers across the province outraged and demor- alized. "This is an attack on our right to bargain and on the charter Shelly Page " said Ms Page. "All citizens need to be concerned about how this leg- islation will affect all workers." Ms Page said that the bill, which has passed second read- rights of all workers, ing in the legislature, gives principals the power to over- ride collective bargaining agreements if they interfere with a school board's ability to meet government teaching time requirements. The bill also gives any citi- zen the right to enter a com- plaint if a school board in their area does not meet govern- ment standards for class size, teaching time, or any other provincially mandated educa- tional requirement, The Minister of Education Janet Ecker will have the right to appoint an investigator to determine whether there is enough evi- dence for an inquiry into com- plaints. The investigator will have the same powers as a gov- ernment commission and the minister can take over control of a board if she finds it in vio- lation. Trustees and staff of the board can be fined $5,000 (a trustee's annual salary) for fail- ure to meet government stan- dards or timetables. This has Ms Page and her members "stunned." "What has been the news in Durham is the issue of extracur- ricular activities," said Ms Page. "But this bill attacks the very right to collectively bargain a contract or determine our work- ing conditions. | urge all per- sons in Durham Region to read the bill and see for them- selves." Stella Dorsman, head of the Durham local of the | Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO), said that her members are shocked at the wide ranging powers given to the education minister by Bill 74. "The issue of teaching time for secondary school teachers has been the issue at the fore- front for some time in Durham," said Ms Dorsman. "This is not about teaching time. This bill is being rammed through with only two days of public meet- ings held in Barrie and Ottawa for goodness sake, and it is an attack on teachers'... rights to collectively bargain." Minister of Education Janet Ecker, told The Star in an exclu- sive interview Tuesday night that teachers in Durham should have nothing to fear from Bill 74. "We have set education standards in Ontario, and par- ents have a right to expect that those standards will be met. This bill will assure that occurs," said Ms Ecker. "The only time that Ms Page will have difficulty with Bill 74 is if they (Durham secondary teachers) continue to do what they have done in regards to extracurricular activities," said Minister Ecker. The Minister said that the legislation, which also gives principals the right to assign teachers to duties in order to conform to any government policy, "makes sure that stu- dents are not used as a bar- gaining chip in any negotia- tions between any teachers' group and any school board." Ms Ecker said she under- stands that teachers' groups do not always agree with the gov- ernment. "Let's have that disagree- ment," she said, "but let's keep it out of the classroom." Ms Page said that teacher groups across the province are looking at making a court chal- lenge to the legislation, and that the threat of government action over extracurricular activities is far from gone. The section on mandatory participation by teachers, according to Ms Ecker, will be passed along with the rest of the bill, but won't be imple- mented unless teachers contin- ue to withhold services. ¢ MOSPECRT SPEEDWAY June 1. , '2000 \ 4 Advance Ticket Sale Cullwick Auto Service Challengers Only $20 until June 14th For Tickets: Call (905) 983-9141 or online mosport.com fi 4 we RIES Meet WWF Supersta r pa Ivory te I Rr ------------ Ee reine ee $e re RH HS a ARR ------ dt ----