In a media briefing held at Milton’s Rattlesnake Point Golf Club last week, ETFO President David Clegg told the Post the funding gap, not wages, is the key issue for teachers in the current contract impasse between ETFO and the Ministry of Education.

ETFO represents 73,000 elementary teachers in public school boards across Ontario; the Halton chapter accounts for about 1,700.

“Increased funding will create more positive learning conditions for Ontario’s elementary students and fairer elementary teacher working conditions that finally are comparable to those of secondary school teachers,” said Clegg, before heading into a meeting with some of the Halton public school board’s elementary teachers.

Clegg said $711 less is spent by the ministry on every elementary student in Ontario, compared to those in high school.

The figure, which he said equates to a difference of $878 million, is already dated, while acknowledging the gap had been higher before the Liberal party took power in Ontario in 2003.

What elementary schools require, Clegg said, is more specialist teachers, teacher-librarians, guidance counsellors, science and technology teachers, and the resources to go with them.

“When I was a Grade 8 teacher hands-on experience engaged them,” he said of his students.

“Closing the gap would engage more students. Being able to apply math in a design-and- technology setting would make a huge difference,” in student learning, he said.

Clegg said the funding gap issue is an old one that needs to be addressed.

“It’s potentially a strike issue. The priorities that were set by our members in this round of bargaining include the issues that touch on the gap. They’ve made it clear to us in setting those priorities that it is their expectation that we deliver. Their piece of that puzzle is to support us, if necessary, in strike action.

“We’re not in that place and we haven’t even discussed that nor have we even contemplated taking a strike vote,” he added.

Clegg noted that he spoke with Maureen Weinberger, the Halton chapter ETFO president, as well as a number of teachers last week.

“They were disheartened when they fully understood how minimal the government’s offer meant to the closing the gap issue. Certainly there is a sense of resolve that this is a real issue that needs to be dealt with.

“It doesn’t cost a penny for the government to make that commitment (in principle).

He said he understands that the government’s coffers are lighter with the sluggish economy. The province recently announced cutbacks in spending to stave off a projected $500 million deficit for 2008-09.

“Quite clearly, the current economic conditions create cash flow problems for the government. What we haven’t seen is the commitment in principle” to closing the elementary/secondary- funding gap, he said.

“If we get that, we can sit down with them and work on a framework... It (gap funding) would be back-end loaded. How we go about doing that would require some creativity.”

Education Minister Kathleen Wynne, who would not comment on the possibility of a teachers strike, told the Post on Thursday that the province has made a generous offer to teachers.

“We have been working to facilitate the conversations between the (school) boards and the federation.... To the extent that we (government) have a position it’s about our ability to put money into the system.

“The provisions that are on the table ... are very fair — three per cent a year for the next four years in salary, increased benefits, increased staffing for Grades 4-8 and some class size reductions in Grades 4-8...Our track record is that we have been putting resources into the system where they’re needed,” said Wynne

The education minister said the total value of the four-year deals offered to teachers represents a $2.5 billion increase to government spending on education.

“If you look at the economic situation right now, that is a very generous proposal. What I am really looking for is to get back to the (bargaining) table and (work) within that amount of money that would be allocated to an ETFOprovincial agreement. If there are changes, different priorities, we can have that conversation but we can’t have it unless they come back to the table with the boards.”

Clegg said that what the ministry offered in provincial level talks earlier in the year “fell very far short of what is needed to close the gap and provide the resources to make elementary education in Ontario all it can be.”

“Needless to say, we rejected the offer. As a result, we (ETFO) assumed control of local negotiations.”

Clegg is on a whirlwind tour of union chapters across Ontario. He expects to visit with local reps at 31 of 33 elementary teaching chapters.

Many of the chapters are back in negotiations with their local school boards on various issues such as staff transfers, leaves and the formation of committees. However, all monetary issues, like wages, benefits, class sizes and teacher planning time, have to be OK’d by the ETFO provincially before any local contract is signed, said Clegg.

Halton’s ETFO local union met with school board officials on Sept. 17 presenting a preliminary offer. Their next meeting is Nov. 17.

Collective bargaining agreements for most teachers unions expired on Aug. 31 of this year.

Teachers with Ontario’s French-language and Catholic school boards — including the Halton Catholic District School Board — recently signed new four-year contract agreements with the province. The deal includes wage increases of three per cent for each year.

The education ministry has given all teachers’ unions a Nov. 30 deadline to accept the government’s offer, otherwise those groups would only be eligible for two per cent increases annually.

Clegg said there will be no four-year deals with ETFO chapters if they don’t get significant advancements on the gap issue.