The evolution of professionalism - Centre for Policy Studies in ...

• The availability of qualifi ed teachers and qualifi ed teaching assistants;
• The availability of adequate classroom space;
• The status of bargaining in amalgamating divisions and districts; and
• The future level of provincial funds.
The moratorium on including class size and composition in collective bargaining
processes ended in 2003. Although there has not yet been a teachers’ contract
agreement in Manitoba that has actually included clauses related to class size and
composition, several divisions will wrestle with these issues in their next rounds
of negotiations. According to MTS Vice President Pat Isaak, the MTS believes “…
teachers should be able to negotiate class size and composition in order to arrive
at the best possible solution for the students” (personal communication, February
27, 2004).
Length of the School Year
In the spring of 2003, Education Minister Ron Lemieux announced that the
government would experiment with having students return to classes in September
2003 after Labour Day (Winnipeg Free Press, January 23, 2004, p. B1); rather
than in August, as had previously been done in order to ensure 200 school days
(190 instructional, fi ve professional development, and fi ve administrative days) in
the school year. Current Education Minister Peter Bjornson has stated the practice
will continue for at least the next fi ve years, due to positive feedback received
from parents, students and the business community. During the next fi ve years, the
length of the school year will vary from 194 to 197 days.
The decision to resume classes after Labour Day has been welcomed by the
tourism industry. In the January 23, 2004 issue of the Winnipeg Free Press, Manitoba
Chamber of Commerce President Graham Starmer commented that businesses will
“…reap millions of dollars from having an extra week in which families can take
vacations and students can work part-time” (page B2). However, Carolyn Duhamel,
Executive Director of MAST, argued that students require 190 instructional days
in order to fully cover the curriculum. In January 2004, Education Minister Peter
Bjornson announced that while school divisions must respect the fi ve professional
development days for teachers, “There’s discretion up to fi ve administration days”
(Winnipeg Free Press, January 23, 2004, p. B1). Parent groups expressed concern
about the loss of these administration days, since parent-teacher meetings generally
occur then.
Diversity and Social Equity
In the document the Manitoba Special Education Review: Final Report (Manitoba
Education, Training and Youth, 1999) the NDP government recommended that
The Province of Manitoba make changes to Manitoba’s legislation in order to
achieve consistency with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, particularly to
ensure the right to equality as it is understood in Canada and relates to the right
of access to education for exceptional children (B.5.i,p. 31).
72 Section 2: The Prairies