News Clippings
June 4-10, 2013
Produced by the
Communications & Community Relations Department
Deserving students get a helping hand
Page 1 of 1
MISSISSAUGA — Money makes the world go round. Even for freshman college
and university students.
The Mississauga chapter of the Congress of Black Women of Canada fully
understands the tight financial constraints facing most students. Yesterday, they
offered a helping hand, awarding $1,000 scholarships to six Peel secondary
school students at the Canadian Coptic Centre on 1245 Eglinton Ave. W.
The presentation was made during the community outreach organization's 27th
annual scholarship brunch.
The recipients included Mississauga high school students Jesse Tubbs of
Father Goetz Secondary School, Sonia Hunte of Applewood Heights and
Matthew Miller from Erindale.
Brampton recipients included Harry Mohammed of St. Augustine, Kendal Blake from Edmund Campion and Shanice Marie
Diab-Cox of Central Peel.
Meanwhile, Nichol Nurse received a similar scholarship for adult students and will study social work at Sheridan College.
The scholarship winners were selected based on their academic achievement, volunteer work and ambition, said Loris
Thomas, the Congress of Black Women's Ontario regional representative.
"They are a brilliant and focussed group of recipients," said Thomas. "During the interview process, they all came across as
people who are going to make a difference in this world."
Miller is headed to Brock University this fall to start working towards a degree in recreation and leisure studies.
"It means a lot," he said of the award. "The support is good for financial help and it gives me motivation to continue (with) my
educational goals. Any money really helps (with my) situation."
Miller, 18, has his eyes set on a career as a high school gym teacher and, having served as assistant volleyball coach at
Erindale, he's already begun to lay a foundation of practical experience.
"Volunteering and extracurriculars are the stuff that makes high school worth it," he said.
The Mississauga branch of the CBWC was established in 1985. The organization boasts 10 chapters across the province and
nearly 500 members.
http://www.mississauga.com/community-story/3832760-deserving-students-get-a-helping-... 6/10/2013
St. Barbara school knows how to have a good time
Page 1 of 1
MISSISSAUGA – St. Barbara Elementary School hosted its inaugural Fun Day
and Community Bazaar yesterday.
Families descended upon the school's grounds on 1455 Samuelson Circle to
take part in a bevy of exciting activities, entertainment and food.
DJ Dave provided the musical accompaniment, while guests had the choice of
dancing or perusing the garage sale.
Youngsters and their parents also had the opportunity to take a yoga class, led
by Mississauga's Inspire Yoga Studio.
http://www.mississauga.com/community-story/3832344-st-barbara-school-knows-how-to-... 6/10/2013
School awarded for creating accepting environment
Page 1 of 1
BRAMPTON— Brampton’s St. Marguerite d’Youville Secondary School is
among 12 schools in the province receiving the Premier’s Award for Accepting
Schools.
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board high school has been singled
out by the premier’s office for initiatives focused on making the school
environment safe and welcoming for its students.
The annual awards are presented to recognize exceptional and innovative work
being done in Ontario schools to create a safe and accepting places for
students to learn.
Staff, students, parents and the community at d’Youville are involved in a variety
of programs established to build an inclusive and caring school atmosphere,
said Principal Kevin Greco.
The provincial government made special note of the school’s Link Crew Transition Program, which has senior students
meeting and making connections with Grade 8 students. The program has proven successful in helping incoming freshman
transition from elementary school to high school.
The school’s Peer Mentors program pairs Grade 11 and 12 students with Grade 9 students at risk of not succeeding at
school. The older students help their younger schoolmates get back on track.
The d’Y Cares program was developed so staff could demonstrate to students that faculty care and is available to help with
any problems.
“When students know that we care, they’re going to be successful and feel welcome,” said Greco.
Brampton-Springdale MPP Linda Jeffrey was at the school Friday afternoon, on behalf of the premier and education minister,
to present several staff, students and a parent with certificates celebrating their efforts to create a safe school environment.
A lot of time and resources are spent ensuring students feel a sense of belonging and security at the school, said Greco. It
has been and will continue to be a strategic priority, he explained.
“It’s nice to see all of our students and staff are being recognized for these efforts,” Greco added.
If you provide students with inclusion, acceptance and assistance, they will amaze you in profound ways, said Brampton
Trustee Scott McLauchlan in adding his congratulations at the occasion.
Greco insisted the efforts at the school is a community one that includes everyone from the custodians and secretaries to the
teachers, students and parents.
“It’s not a group, it’s a whole community that’s done this,” he said.
When Rachel Fernandes was a Grade 9 student, one of the senior students in the Link program helped her make the jump
from elementary school to high school. That senior student remains one of her best friends three years later.
Rachel is now in Grade 12 and a Link Crew member helping younger students successfully make the transition to high
school.
“My purpose is to make them feel like they’re included and they’re important,” said Rachel, who believes that culture among
the senior students has changed the school’s entire atmosphere.
http://www.bramptonguardian.com/news-story/3832091-school-awarded-for-creating-acce... 6/10/2013
Young actress not wasting any time
Page 1 of 1
MISSISSAUGA — For March Break, many Mississauga kids and their families
headed south for the customary sun and sand.
Martine Campbell boarded a plane also; except she went to Austin, Texas to
attend the South by Southwest film festival.
Twelve-year-old Martine is a budding actress, and she was invited to the
prestigious SXSW for the premiere of her latest film, Haunter, a horror flick
directed by acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Vincenzo Natali, best known for
directing science-fiction films such as Cube, Cypher, Nothing and Splice.
Instead of strolling a sandy beach, Martine walked a red carpet on the way in for
the screening.
“It was a new experience for me. I was a bit nervous because there were all
these bright lights and photographers taking my picture,” she said.
Following the midnight showing of Haunter, Martine joined Natali on stage to answer questions from the audience.
“The whole evening was so enjoyable and thrilling,” she said. “I didn’t get to bed until 3 in the morning.”
In Haunter, the ghost of a teenager who died years ago reaches out to the land of the living to save someone from suffering
her same fate. It stars Abigail Breslin, who earned an Oscar nomination for her work in the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine.
Martine plays the younger sister of one of the main characters. The movie is expected to hit cinemas this fall.
It’s a long way from Streetsville where Martine attends St. Rose of Lima Elementary School. Martine caught the acting bug
early, and was soon taking acting classes. At 7, she appeared in a national back-to-school Walmart ad. That was followed by
an ad for Maple Leaf Foods, where she’s shown munching a sandwich.
“That really propelled her career,” said her father, Colin Campbell, vice-chair of Heart House Hospice’s board of directors.
Campbell’s especially proud of his daughter because when Martine was 4 years old she was very ill with what seemed to be
a cancerous growth around her neck. Over the course of six months she underwent three major surgeries at Toronto’s
Hospital for Sick Children. Fortunately, the cells didn’t turn out to be cancerous and Martine has fully recovered.
Last year, she appeared in one episode of the TV series Beauty and the Beast, a modern re-telling of the well-known
fairytale. Also in 2012, she won a part in Portrait of a Serial Monogamist, currently being shot in Toronto.
Martine is slowly getting used to the spotlight. A life-size cardboard cutout of the young thespian was once displayed in
Walmart. During a family visit to Nova Scotia, she was recognized by a woman who had evidently seen one of her ads. "I
think I know you from somewhere," the woman told Martine, looking quizzically at her.
“I get that reaction a lot,” said Martine. “Sometimes it can be quite awkward since they are strangers.”
Still, she’s taking everything in stride. After all, acting’s what she’s wanted to do for as long as she could remember.
“Every girl wants to act and see herself on TV and in movies,” she said.
Certainly, she has all the tools: she’s smart and articulate and mature beyond her years. Still, the little girl in her sometimes
charmingly shines through. For instance, asked what she likes best about being on the set, she quickly answered: “The craft
service!” (That’s industry lingo for the lavish smorgasbord traditionally laid out for the cast.)
As we said, she’s extremely bright.
http://www.mississauga.com/whatson-story/3413875-young-actress-not-wasting-any-time/
6/10/2013
TCDSB director of education to take over education quality office
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TCDSB director of education to take over education quality office
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Friday, 07 June 2013 16:52
TORONTO - Before ushering in the new school
year the Toronto Catholic District School Board
will bid farewell to Bruce Rodrigues.
On Aug. 1 Toronto Catholic’s current director of
education will officially take on his new position
as CEO of the province’s Education Quality and
Accountability Office (EQAO), it was announced
May 31.
“It’s bittersweet,” said Rodrigues. “We certainly
have moved forward in terms of the work we
have down here with .... the organization trying
to achieve the Multi-Year Strategic Plan. I would
have liked to have seen how it all unfolded but at
the same time going to take on the challenges of
the EQAO office is certainly a welcomed
opportunity.”
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In 2012 Rodrigues helped establish the board’s
first Multi- Year Strategic Plan with the intention of overseeing its execution until 2015. Taking on his
new role at EQAO, however, means ending his contract early and thus leaving his vision in the hands of
a successor.
EQAO is an academic assessment agency which monitors the achievement of Ontario’s students
compared to other provinces and countries.
“We are delighted to welcome Bruce to EQAO and entrust to him the leadership of this world-class
agency,” said Brian Desbiens, chair of EQAO’s board of directors. “Bruce’s remarkable experience in
senior education portfolios, his dynamic and collaborative leadership style and his absolute dedication
to helping students achieve will be tremendous assets as the agency renews itself for a vibrant future
serving the citizens and students of Ontario.”
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Prior to his taking on the education director’s role at the TCDSB, Rodrigues spent 25 years in Waterloo
serving as associate director of education, superintendent of schools as well as a teacher and
department head for the local Catholic board.
Before ending his two-year stint as director of education, Rodrigues said he will help to continue to
guide the board through its budget as well as support his successor.
“From our end it is really business as usual in terms of moving the agenda forward,” he said. “It’s
important to keep on track. Whoever comes in I’ll try to support them in ensuring a smooth transition
so that they can pick up the ball and continue the good work that has already been going on.”
Rodrigues said his successor should embody three key characteristics: faith, hope and charity.
“I think that really encapsulates what the new director ought to bring to the role; that sense of having a
deep faith grounded in great hope and work with the heart of charity.”
According to Rodrigues his distributive leadership model, which allocated greater responsibility to
senior staff and trustees, should accommodate a smooth transition.
Ann Andrachuk, TCDSB chair, said she hopes to find someone similar to Rodrigues who will continue to
foster a team-based work environment.
“Working together as a team works better than working with an iron fist,” she said. “We are hoping that
there will be a smooth transition and that the individual coming in will have already pre-informed
themselves on the operations of the board and the direction that the trustees have set the board into.”
While Andrachuk is confident the board will find a suitable replacement, she did admit that a lot of
work needs to be done before classes resume in September.
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http://www.catholicregister.org/news/toronto-gta/item/16436-tcdsb-director-of-education-t... 6/10/2013
Ontario schools need accountability, not seniority
Page 1 of 2
Opinion / Commentary
Ontario schools need accountability, not seniority
Ontario government provision requiring principals to hire for long-term positions based on
seniority is a concern when younger teachers are facing an unemployment crisis.
COLIN MCCONNELL / TORONTO STAR
According to Education Minister Liz Sandals, changes in the way teachers are hired are necessary to match the
agreement the province reached with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, which was the template
used for all other teacher unions in the province.
By:Sachin MaharajFreelance Opinion writer, Published on Thu Jun 06 2013
The Ontario government’s decision to change the way teachers are hired has caused school boards
serious concern. The most recent changes, those that require boards to interview all candidates
who meet minimum eligibility criteria, will require more time and resources in an era of tight
budgets and cutbacks. But there is another change that should be of greater concern to the public:
a provision requiring principals to hire for long-term assignments based on seniority.
What prompted these changes? According to Education Minister Liz Sandals, the changes are
necessary to match the agreement the province reached with the Ontario English Catholic
Teachers Association, which was the template used for all other teacher unions in the province.
Why did OECTA demand this? Supposedly, it is to prevent nepotism in hiring. But is this even a
serious problem in our schools? Beyond speculation from some teacher unions, there seems to be
little actual evidence that nepotism is a systemic issue.
However, there is real evidence that there is an unemployment crisis among Ontario’s young
teachers, which seniority-based hiring will only exacerbate. A 2012 survey from the Ontario
College of Teachers found that 37 per cent of new teachers were completely unemployed, not able
to find even a single day of supply teaching work. And only 14s per cent were able to secure a
regular full-time teaching job. As one recent graduate from the GTA put it, “I doubt I will gain a
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/06/06/ontario_schools_need_accountabil... 6/6/2013
Ontario schools need accountability, not seniority
Page 2 of 2
teaching job for at least another three or four years.” Instead of trying to address an imaginary
problem, seniority-based hiring will only make this actual problem much worse.
But even if the problem is that our schools are filled with teachers with personal connections as
opposed to talent, the remedy lies in ensuring that we actually hire the best teachers, not those
with the most seniority. How could we do this? By demanding accountability. It is only in an
accountability vacuum that nepotism or suboptimal hiring decisions can exist. If principals were
held accountable for the performance of those they hire, they would be more likely to ensure they
select only the best teachers.
Once hired, principals should also be held responsible for retaining these teachers. Studies have
shown that the students of the most effective teachers learn three times as much as those of the
least effective, yet principals are often not held accountable for hiring and retaining them. A 2012
study of 90,000 teachers by The New Teacher Project found that fewer than half of top teachers
received any positive feedback from their principals and only 37 per cent were encouraged by their
principals to stay at their school. On the flip side, very few principals did anything significant to
address their lowest performing teachers. The result was that most schools retained their highest
performing and lowest performing teachers at very similar rates.
The study also documented the ways in which top teachers are shortchanged by seniority-based
policies. These often result in top teachers getting paid less than their lower performing colleagues
and make it impossible to keep them when layoffs occur. The result is that many top teachers leave
their schools, school districts or the teaching profession. This is a tragedy for students. If we really
care about providing our students with the best teachers, seniority-based policies should have no
place in our schools.
So why did the government agree to these hiring changes? It was primarily to reward OECTA for
agreeing to its other cost-saving measures. But while seniority-based policies make unions happy,
they are not in the best interests of students. Telling principals they can only hire teachers with the
most seniority discriminates against younger teachers. And given the dismal job market for new
teachers, this makes no sense. It also undermines efforts to ensure we have the best teachers
possible. If the government is serious about putting students first, accountability is where the
solution lies.
Sachin Maharaj is a graduate student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education,
University of Toronto and an assistant curriculum leader in the Toronto District School Board.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/06/06/ontario_schools_need_accountabil... 6/6/2013
St. Dominic annual reunion continues
Page 1 of 1
The first time the 1964 graduating class from St. Dominic Elementary School
reunited was in 1980, when the Catholic school on Hartsdale Ave. held its 25th
anniversary celebration.
Now, since 2005, the grads reunite every year. This year's event is a barbecue, taking place Saturday in Clarkson.
Elaine Murphy attended the 1980 reunion.
"It was only 16 years after we graduated in 1964," she said. "We were all around 30 and it didn't seem that big a deal."
It was very different at the 50th anniversary event in 2005. That pub event brought several of Murphy's classmates together.
They were older and looking to retirement.
"Since 2005 we've had a reunion for our graduating class every year," said Murphy.
If it seems odd that a Grade 8 graduating class reunites every year, it doesn't to Murphy.
"We were the first Grade 1 class and we went all through elementary school together until we graduated from Grade 8," she
said. "We split up when we all headed off to different high schools. You don't forget people you were close to for that long."
Murphy works in Markham, but still lives in town, near Gordon Graydon Memorial Secondary School. Since 2005 she's been
organizing the annual get-togethers.
She says locating the guys was easy, but the girls got married and changed their names, which makes it harder to track them
down.
"Quite a few of the grads live within driving distance of Mississauga and most are in Ontario."
This year, about 35 grads and their Grade 5 teacher have committed to attend the group's first-ever barbecue event at a
Clarkson home. The men golf in the morning and the party starts around the patio about 5 p.m.
"When we got together the first time in 1980, we were looking at each other and asking what happened," said Murphy. "Now
we hug everyone and we're just glad we're all here. We don't ask about each other's kids — we talk about old times."
Any grads from 1964 at St. Dominic's are sure to get a warm welcome.
Contact Elaine Murphy at 905-891-5998.
http://www.mississauga.com/community-story/3412713-st-dominic-annual-reunion-contin... 6/10/2013
Education Minister warns teachers about abusing sick days
Page 1 of 1
QUEEN'S PARK — Education Minister Liz Sandals is warning teachers to book
off work only when they are actually sick, as the opposition called on the
province to crack down on those who abuse the system.
"Our expectation is that sick days will be used when teachers actually have an illness," Sandals told reporters after a news
conference where she announced changes to teacher education.
"The purpose is not if you are well and have a couple of sick days left, you go off sick."
School boards are having a tough time finding enough substitute teachers to fill in for the record number of teachers booking
off at this time of year — especially on Mondays and Fridays — using up sick days they are no longer allowed to bank.
Given what boards are experiencing, the ministry must create a policy to ensure there's no abuse, said Progressive
Conservative MPP and education critic Lisa MacLeod.
"Sick days are not intended to be used for a nice day at the beach, or to go shoe shopping," she said. "In this job in particular,
when someone who is in a position as a teacher or other school employee takes a day that isn't required, they are letting
students down."
Teachers used to have 20 sick days, and were able to save unused days in case of serious illness, or receive a payout at
retirement. Now, it's use-them-or-lose them: teachers get 11 sick days.
The news comes at the end of a year filled with labour turmoil in the province's education system, and Michael Barrett,
president of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association, believes the bump in book-offs will be a blip.
"There's still a lot of hard feelings with regards to Bill 115," he said, referring to the controversial legislation that imposed
contracts — and cuts — on teachers.
"Just because you sign a contract doesn't mean relationships are all warm and fuzzy again," he added.
"To me, the minister should be looking at this with eyes wide open - this is what you get when the government negotiates
contracts directly with unions … when school boards are not involved."
Kevin O'Dwyer, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association, can't understand how boards are struggling
to find substitute teachers when there are thousands of unemployed teachers on their rosters. He also said he's heard no
concerns about teacher absences.
"Our members are going in and doing their jobs and being professional," he added.
The government saved $1.1 billion by eliminating the banking of sick days. However some insiders wonder with all the money
being spent on occasional teachers, as well as a new short-term disability plan, if it will be any better off.
Sandals' spokeswoman said the ministry is working with teacher unions and school boards "to implement changes to the sick
leave plan."
She also noted that starting next year, teachers who use fewer than six of their 11 sick days will receive an extra day's pay.
In a statement, Sandals said teachers know "the important role they play in the lives of our children.
"I don't anticipate the changes in the sick leave plan to have a significant impact on the fact that teachers will want to be with
their students during (the end of the school year)."
http://www.mississauga.com/news-story/3410952-education-minister-warns-teachers-abou... 6/10/2013
Education Minister warns teachers about abusing sick days
Page 1 of 1
QUEEN'S PARK — Education Minister Liz Sandals is warning teachers to book
off work only when they are actually sick, as the opposition called on the
province to crack down on those who abuse the system.
"Our expectation is that sick days will be used when teachers actually have an illness," Sandals told reporters after a news
conference where she announced changes to teacher education.
"The purpose is not if you are well and have a couple of sick days left, you go off sick."
School boards are having a tough time finding enough substitute teachers to fill in for the record number of teachers booking
off at this time of year — especially on Mondays and Fridays — using up sick days they are no longer allowed to bank.
Given what boards are experiencing, the ministry must create a policy to ensure there's no abuse, said Progressive
Conservative MPP and education critic Lisa MacLeod.
"Sick days are not intended to be used for a nice day at the beach, or to go shoe shopping," she said. "In this job in particular,
when someone who is in a position as a teacher or other school employee takes a day that isn't required, they are letting
students down."
Teachers used to have 20 sick days, and were able to save unused days in case of serious illness, or receive a payout at
retirement. Now, it's use-them-or-lose them: teachers get 11 sick days.
The news comes at the end of a year filled with labour turmoil in the province's education system, and Michael Barrett,
president of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association, believes the bump in book-offs will be a blip.
"There's still a lot of hard feelings with regards to Bill 115," he said, referring to the controversial legislation that imposed
contracts — and cuts — on teachers.
"Just because you sign a contract doesn't mean relationships are all warm and fuzzy again," he added.
"To me, the minister should be looking at this with eyes wide open - this is what you get when the government negotiates
contracts directly with unions … when school boards are not involved."
Kevin O'Dwyer, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association, can't understand how boards are struggling
to find substitute teachers when there are thousands of unemployed teachers on their rosters. He also said he's heard no
concerns about teacher absences.
"Our members are going in and doing their jobs and being professional," he added.
The government saved $1.1 billion by eliminating the banking of sick days. However some insiders wonder with all the money
being spent on occasional teachers, as well as a new short-term disability plan, if it will be any better off.
Sandals' spokeswoman said the ministry is working with teacher unions and school boards "to implement changes to the sick
leave plan."
She also noted that starting next year, teachers who use fewer than six of their 11 sick days will receive an extra day's pay.
In a statement, Sandals said teachers know "the important role they play in the lives of our children.
"I don't anticipate the changes in the sick leave plan to have a significant impact on the fact that teachers will want to be with
their students during (the end of the school year)."
http://www.mississauga.com/news-story/3410952-education-minister-warns-teachers-about-... 6/6/2013
Ontario teachers’ colleges get sweeping new curriculum
Page 1 of 2
News / Queen's Park
Ontario teachers’ colleges get sweeping new curriculum
All student teachers in Ontario will be required for the first time to take common training.
RICHARD J. BRENNAN / TORONTO STAR
Education Minister Liz Sandals says only about 6,000 teaching jobs open up in Ontario each year.
By:Louise Brown GTA, Education Schools, Published on Wed Jun 05 2013
All student teachers in Ontario will be required for the first time to take common training in how
to work with students of diverse backgrounds and those with special needs, and to get training in
using technology in the classroom, Education Minister Liz Sandals has announced.
The sweeping new curriculum to be launched in 2015 will be spread over two years instead of one,
and include 80 days of practice-teaching instead of 40. Too, teachers’ colleges will take in only half
as many students as they do now — 4,500 a year down from about 9,000 — to reduce the glut of
unemployed educators in an age of declining enrolment and tight budgets.
“By modernizing our teacher education program, we can give students a greater depth of
knowledge and also give them more opportunities to find jobs in their chosen field,” said Sandals
on Wednesday at Toronto’s Lord Landsowne Public School, where she unveiled plans for the
longer, more detailed teacher education program pledged in the Liberals’ 2011 election campaign.
Sandals said only about 6,000 teaching jobs open up in the province each year.
The province also will reduce the per-student funding it gives its 13 faculties of education by about
20 per cent. It used to fund them at the rate of the tech-focused engineering programs but now it
will be on a par with law and social work. The ministry will provide transition dollars to ease the
initial blow on universities, especially those such as Nipissing and Lakehead, for whom faculties of
eduction make up a large portion of the student body.
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2013/06/05/ontario_teachers_colleges_get_sweep... 6/5/2013
Ontario teachers’ colleges get sweeping new curriculum
Page 2 of 2
“We need to turn the tap down on the supply of teachers and bring it more in line with demand,”
said MPP Brad Duguid, minister of training, college and universities, noting some 37,500
qualified teaching graduates in Ontario cannot find jobs in their field.
Duguid said he was served by an articulate, bright teacher graduate last week in Windsor who was
waitressing because she could not find a classroom job.
“She should be at the front of the class instead of serving me beer and pizza,” said Duguid, adding
he believes the province’s “robust” student aid should help students afford the extra year of
teachers’ college.
Under the new province-wide curriculum, Sandals said each student teacher will get at least some
training in teaching diverse populations including aboriginal students, tailoring teaching methods
to students of different abilities, using technology in the classroom, literacy and numeracy, mental
health and addiction and safe schools.
“Currently the requirements are not very specific and many of these items are not necessarily
included (in each faculty) and the complaint from school boards for decades has been that not
every teacher graduate has learned about special education,” said Sandals. “Now that will be a
requirement.”
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2013/06/05/ontario_teachers_colleges_get_sweep... 6/5/2013
Teacher sick days rising as end of school year nears
Page 1 of 4
Your Toronto / Schools
Teacher sick days rising as end of school year nears
School boards scramble to find substitutes as high numbers of teachers call in sick. Under a
contract imposed by the province, they can no longer bank unused sick days.
/
Doug Jolliffe, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation in Toronto.
By:Kristin RushowyEducation Reporter,Louise Brown GTA, Education Schools, Published on Wed Jun 05 2013
Ontario school boards are scrambling to cover a record number of teachers taking time off, as they
use sick days they no longer can bank until retirement.
The sudden need for substitute teachers in recent weeks has so outstripped demand — especially
on Fridays and Mondays — that some elementary principals have asked librarians, special
education and ESL teachers to scrap regular duties for a day to supervise classrooms.
A handful of high schools have cancelled classes in the senior grades for lack of a teacher.
“Last Friday we had the highest volume of teachers taking ‘family responsibility’ days we’ve ever
seen; but our ‘fill rates’ (the number of vacancies they could fill) are very low — this is an irregular
level of vacancies,” noted Scott Moreash, associate director of the Peel District School Board. A
record 1,664 of Peel’s 10,000 teachers were absent last Friday, of whom only 1,210 could be
replaced with a substitute teacher.
“So principals are having to be creative; some are filling in for teachers themselves,” said Moreash.
Peel recently lifted a ban against using people who are not certified teachers — lunchroom
supervisors, community volunteers — to supervise students on an emergency, short-term basis, he
added.
The board has launched a hiring blitz for supply teachers for the fall.
http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2013/06/05/surge_seen_in_teachers_taking_... 6/5/2013
Teacher sick days rising as end of school year nears
Page 2 of 4
“Are we now in a phase where there will be more absences?” asked Moreash. “Is this the new
normal?”
Under the controversial new contract imposed this year by Queen’s Park, Ontario teachers had
their sick days cut from 20 to 11 per year, and lost the right to bank unused sick days.
“Some teachers had an almost sentimental attachment to idea of banking sick leave, even if they
couldn’t end up using them,” said Doug Jolliffe, president of the Ontario Secondary School
Teachers’ Federation in Toronto.
“So losing that led to a sense of anger. Could that lead to people taking them now? It could . . . but
I haven’t heard that it has.” On the contrary, Jolliffe said there’s still some incentive to keep three
sick days unused, because you can bank them for one year to top up long-term disability if needed.
However, the Toronto Catholic District School Board expects it will be almost 7 per cent over
budget on occasional teachers this year — or about $1.35 million.
“That says to me there’s an obvious increase in the use of supply teachers that is outside the
normal forecast,” said Trustee John Del Grande.
The Toronto District School Board saw more teachers absent than usual in May, although Martin
Long, president of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto, blames the problem as much on a
shortage of supply teachers as a surge in teachers calling in sick.
Linda Bartram is president of the high school supply teachers’ bargaining unit in Toronto, and
she, too, said she doesn’t believe there are more teachers booking off, but rather fewer supply
teachers available in June, when retirees who work as supply teachers likely have used up their
allotted 50 days a year.
The president of the Toronto Elementary Catholic Teachers said another reason for the shortage of
substitute teachers is the fact his board didn’t have enough in the first place and must hire “several
hundred more.”
The union, added Mario Bernardo, has always made it clear that sick days are only to be used for
illness.
“When there’s a lack of confidence in workers or people feel they are abusing these systems, that’s
not in the interest of any work group,” he added.
But the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association says it warned the government the new contract
could spark this problem at the end of the school year, disrupting children’s learning and
unsettling high school students as they prepare to write exams.
“Because it’s a policy of use-them-or-lose-them, we did predict this back in November,” said
president Michael Barrett, who has heard concerns about high teacher absenteeism across the
province.
http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2013/06/05/surge_seen_in_teachers_taking_... 6/5/2013
Teacher sick days rising as end of school year nears
Page 3 of 4
Barrett said 11 sick days is “still a very generous sick-day policy,” considering teachers work 10
months of the year and teach nine months. “It’s still above what you’d see in the industry
standard.” He hopes the issue will be addressed when teacher contracts come up in 2014.
In the past, teachers took an average of eight sick days off per year. But TDSB trustee Jerry
Chadwick noted that the old system gave you an incentive to come to work “even if you had a
migraine,” for the sake of the students — and those unused days could be banked in case of serious
illness or paid out at retirement.
“What worries me most is that this new rule will change the whole culture to ‘I might as well use
them by the end of the year,’” said Chadwick, a former Scarborough principal.
Six elementary principals in his ward told Chadwick Monday they are scrambling every day with
“one or two unfilled supply positions — one school with 24 teachers had a day when six were away,
and only four positions could be filled,” said Chadwick.
“That’s one-quarter of your staff. That’s huge.”
The Star was alerted to the high number of absences by some teachers who are upset with the
impact the high absenteeism is having on students and staff.
“It’s very unprofessional, and we consider ourselves professionals,” said one longtime Toronto
Catholic teacher who asked not to be named.
“Special education is just cancelled,” the teacher added. “The kids are fully integrated (in regular
classrooms) but they’re not getting that extra level of help they required.
“Parents were worried about kids not getting extracurriculars — but now they’re not even getting
curricular.”
Another teacher said “there’s still a lot of bitterness” around the contracts that were initially forced
on teachers by the province.
“We got rid of work-to-rule, but in a sense, this is a silent protest.
“Everybody thinks now that (deals) have been signed, there’s labour peace,” said one teacher. “But
there is chaos within.”
Toronto Trustee Howard Goodman said it was clear that instead of having teachers bank days, “a
great many of them were going to take them — particularly when the weather got warm at the end
of the year, when it’s tempting to be outside.
“We warned them this would likely be the case, and that they would save no money because of the
increased absenteeism around the end of the year.”
Goodman also noted that changes to short-term disability now mean that teachers have up to 120
days at 90 per cent pay, whereas before they used their banked sick days to fund it. He said boards
expect some to take advantage of it, and that, in the end, it will cost boards more.
http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2013/06/05/surge_seen_in_teachers_taking_... 6/5/2013
Teacher sick days rising as end of school year nears
Page 4 of 4
The ministry also extended sick leave benefits to part-time employees — such as lunchroom
supervisors — which “will have significant and crushing blow on the budgets of a whole bunch of
boards.”
“We have been telling the province all these things; they know the implications but they are going
and buying a deal with unions over our considered and urgent requests.”
Ken Arnott, who heads the Ontario Principals’ Council, has been visiting schools around the
province and said members have been telling him “that it has been a challenge; there have been a
lot more vacancies that they have been trying to fill, for a variety of reasons.”
In some cases, it is because teachers are taking part in extracurricular activities or taking students
on field trips, now that the union’s “pause” on such activities is over.
“Mondays and Fridays are particularly difficult, because supply teachers may or may not make
themselves available on those days too.”
“I’ve definitely been seeing that in my school — and frankly it’s not a surprise,” said Hirad Zafari,
student trustee for the Toronto District School Board. “In light of Bill 115, it’s a logical decision by
teachers to use up as much of their non-bankable sick days.”
Kourosh Houshmand said he’s had “a lot more substitute teachers this past month or so,” but no
classes cancelled.
http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2013/06/05/surge_seen_in_teachers_taking_... 6/5/2013
Teacher sick days rising as end of school year nears
Page 1 of 1
PEEL — The Peel and Dufferin-Peel school boards are scrambling to cover for
a record number of teachers who are taking time off, using sick days they no
longer can bank until retirement.
In fact, the problem is widespread across the province.
The sudden need for substitute teachers in recent weeks has so outstripped demand — especially on Fridays and Mondays
— that some elementary principals have asked librarians, special education and ESL teachers to scrap regular duties for a
day to supervise classrooms.
A few high schools have cancelled classes in senior grades for lack of teachers.
"Last Friday we had the highest volume of teachers taking ‘family responsibility' days we've ever seen," said Scott Moreash,
associate director of the Peel District School Board. But he added that "fill rates" (the number of vacancies they could fill) "are
very low — this is an irregular level of vacancies."
A record 1,664 of Peel's 10,000 teachers were absent last Friday, of whom only 1,210 could be replaced with a substitute
teacher.
"So principals are having to be creative; some are filling in for teachers themselves," said Moreash.
Peel recently lifted a ban against using people who are not certified teachers — lunchroom supervisors, community
volunteers — to supervise students on an emergency, short-term basis, he added.
The board has launched a hiring blitz for supply teachers for the fall.
"Are we now in a phase where there will be more absences?" asked Moreash. "Is this the new normal?"
Under the controversial new contract imposed this year by Queen's Park, Ontario teachers had their sick days cut from 20 to
11 per year, and lost the right to bank unused sick days.
"Some teachers had an almost sentimental attachment to the idea of banking sick leave, even if they couldn't end up using
them," said Doug Jolliffe, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation in Toronto.
"So losing that led to a sense of anger. Could that lead to people taking them now? It could … but I haven't heard that it has."
On the contrary, Jolliffe said there's still some incentive to keep three sick days unused, because you can bank them for one
year to top up long-term disability if needed.
However, the Toronto Catholic District School Board expects it will be almost 7 per cent over budget on occasional teachers
this year — or about $1.35 million.
"That says to me there's an obvious increase in the use of supply teachers that is outside the normal forecast," said trustee
John Del Grande.
The Toronto District School Board saw more teachers absent than usual in May, although Martin Long, president of the
Elementary Teachers of Toronto, blames the issue as much on a shortage of supply teachers as a surge in teachers calling in
sick.
Linda Bartram is president of the high school supply teachers' bargaining unit in Toronto, and she, too, said she doesn't
believe there are more teachers booking off, but rather fewer supply teachers available in June, when retirees who work as
supply teachers likely have used up their allotted 50 days a year.
The president of the Toronto Elementary Catholic Teachers said another reason for the shortage of substitute teachers is the
fact his board didn't have enough in the first place and must hire "several hundred more." The union, added Mario Bernardo,
has always made it clear sick days are only to be used for illness.
"When there's a lack of confidence in workers or people feel they are abusing these systems, that's not in the interest of any
work group," he said.
But the Ontario Public School Boards' Association says it warned the government the new contract could spark this problem
at the end of the school year, disrupting learning and unsettling high school students as they prepare to write exams.
"Because it's a policy of use-them-or-lose-them, we did predict this back in November," said president Michael Barrett, who
has heard concerns about high teacher absenteeism across the province.
Barrett said 11 sick days is "still a very generous sick-day policy," considering teachers work 10 months of the year and teach
nine months. "It's still above what you'd see in the industry standard."
http://www.mississauga.com/news-story/3255785-teacher-sick-days-rising-as-end-of-scho... 6/10/2013
How to deal with bullies? Fine their parents
Page 1 of 2
News / World
How to deal with bullies? Fine their parents
The town of Monona in Wisconsin has passed an ordinance that sets out fines for parents of repeat
bullies.
MONONO POLICE
Monona Police Chief Walter Ostrenga developed a unique way to combat bullying.
By:Curtis RushNews reporter, Published on Tue Jun 04 2013
For police, sometimes it’s the small crimes that create the biggest problems. Take the case of
Monona, Wisconsin.
Situated adjacent to the state capital of Madison, this town of 7,500 is mostly immune to big-city
crime — in fact, you have to back three years to find a major incident. In 2010, an officer had to
shoot and kill a bank robber.
That doesn’t mean police chief Walter Ostrenga and his 20 officers don’t have other crimes and
misdemeanours to investigate.
Thefts are a major problem — and so is bullying.
With a large high school population of 1,500 students and with a major university in Madison, this
is fertile territory for kids to harass others, either in person or online.
And what makes the police job harder is that Monona’s parents have been known to block
investigative efforts.
Last year, police got tired of turning up at a youth’s home to question the parents, only to have the
door slammed in their face.
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How to deal with bullies? Fine their parents
Page 2 of 2
“Some people, you go and knock on their door, and they say, ‘Hey, my kid’s perfect, mind your
own business,’ and they slam the door in your face and the bullying continues,” Ostrenga told the
Toronto Star.
Det. Sgt. Ryan Losby, himself a parent who was concerned about research he’d seen on the
damaging effects of bullying, believed he had an answer.
He wondered if the parents would co-operate if the town could levy a fine against the parents.
Over the last year, he worked on drafting such a municipal ordinance.
After countless reviews at the committee level and with the local school board, Monona passed a
http://www.mymonona.com/ImageFiles/5-13-645%20Prohibiting%20Bullying%20&%
20Harassment.pdf on May 20 that would allow parents to be fined if their child was found to be a
repeat bully.
The municipality was careful to adopt the same language in the broader state law that has already
been tested in court. And the parent-liability clause is part of a larger ordinance passed by city
council to prohibit bullying and harassment.
A first violation of the parent-liability clause carries a $114 fine. Subsequent violations within the
same year carry fines of $177 each. A parent or guardian must be informed in writing by an officer
of a separate violation of bullying by the same minor within the prior 90 days.
Monona is believed to be the first town in the U.S. with such a parent-liability fine.
The story made headlines in Wisconsin and was picked up by news organizations across the
country.
“It took a year because it was a different idea,” Ostrenga said. “We’re trying to make a big deal out
of it. By making it a municipal ordinance, it non-criminalizes it so the officers can just issue a
citation.”
The fine is seen as a tool of last resort. Parents who make an effort to address their child’s
concerns would not be ticketed.
“If we never have to write a ticket, we’ll be happy,” Ostrenga said. “We might never write a ticket.
But having this on the books hopefully will be a deterrent.”
The town’s mayor, Bob Miller, told the Star that this parent-liability clause was intended to be a
“wake-up call” to parents who may not be attuned to what their children are doing at home on the
Internet.
“There are parents who just believe their children could never do something that was
inappropriate,” the mayor said.
He added that the ordinance has bite to it, but “it’s not looking like we’re looking to bust parents.”
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/06/04/how_to_deal_with_bullies_fine_their_pare... 6/6/2013