Parents with kids in the Renfrew County District School Board system can breathe a little easier.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has reached a tentative agreement with the provincial government and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association that covers its 80,000 teacher and occasional teacher members.
ETFO President Karen Brown says the deal “protects their collective agreement entitlements and also addresses key bargaining goals.”
Ontario’s education minister, Stephen Lecce, adds that it means stability in schools.
The union will share the details of the deal with its members on Thursday after meeting with local presidents and chief negotiators. Brown says that a vote to ratify the deal is also in the works.
The province is still working towards a deal with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, which has voted in favour of a strike, and with the union representing teachers in the French public system.
Public high school teachers have gone to binding arbitration with the government in order to get a new contract, eliminating the possibility of a strike.
(written by Kasey Egan)