McDowell school staff demonstrate during contract negotiations

Connor Lalande
Shawville March 29, 2023

Staff at Dr. S. E. McDowell Elementary School held a demonstration before the school day this past Wednesday. Members of the Western Quebec Teachers’ Association, which is itself a part of Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers, the schools union demonstrate to draw attention to contract negotiation demands. Their demands are as follows:

Class composition:

• The group of students to be taught has an immediate and direct impact on the teacher’s everyday experience and on the learning climate for all students.
• Careful formation of groups.
• Increase the amounts allocated for support of class composition in all sectors.
• Add a temporary measure to counter the pandemic’s impact on academic success in disadvantaged areas.

Teacher workload:

• Teachers are often bogged down in administrative tasks. Time must be given so that they can focus on their primary mission: teaching.
• Increase the amount of time for which teachers decide on the work to be done in all sectors.
• Reduce supervision time in order to have more time with the students.

Distance teaching and individualized teaching:

• During the pandemic, distance teaching developed very quickly and this has created a certain number of problems.
• In the youth sector, teaching must be dispensed in the presence of students.
• Establish clear guidelines for distance teaching in all sectors.

Professional Autonomy:

• Autonomy is a key pillar in asserting the value of the profession.
• Allow teachers to have more control over their workload and their pedagogical days.

Remedial Teachers:

• Increase the total number of remedial resources to support learning at the preschool and elementary school levels.

Adult Education:

• No ratios exist for this sector. This has created some very unfortunate situations for both teachers and students.
• Guarantee time in their workload for student follow-up.

Vocational Training:

• Increase the number of hours that may be released to take Bachelor’s degree courses to help teachers become legally qualified.

Remuneration:

• Galloping inflation combined with staff shortages provide ample justification for improving certain teacher-specific salary conditions.
• An employer’s contribution to the group insurance plan.
• Make corrections to the salary scale of teachers.

Attraction and retention:

• We need to attract students to university teaching programs, and make it easier for new teachers to stay in the profession.
• Reduce job insecurity.
• Increase the number of mentor teachers.