Public elementary school teachers get raise

The Liberal government has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario. The agreement is similar to one struck with public high school teachers in April.

However it appears teachers probably won’t see their pay frozen for two years as the government was hoping, in order to help eliminate the deficit. The improvements include more sick days — going from six to 11 — as well as improvements to maternity and sick leave provisions. Teachers who take fewer than six sick days will be given a day’s pay.

Education minister Liz Sandals says the deal also includes a clause to eliminate the pay difference between english public elementary teachers and their counterparts in the Catholic and french public schools.

“From a public policy perspective when we look into the future and continue to pay Catholic teachers and french teachers more than public teachers, we have agreed to correct that in the future.”

The raise will be roughly $1,600 for the average teacher and it comes into effect in September 2014. The union will have until June 23rd to ratify the agreement and local bargaining needs to be done by August 29th.

As Kate Carnegie reports, they will receive a 2% raise to bring them up to par with French-language and Catholic elementary teachers.