PRESIDENT'S JOURNAL

Terms and Conditions of Employment

All collective agreements between OECTA, other unionized groups and Catholic school boards were settled before the Nov. 30th deadline.

CPCO has had several inquiries regarding a deadline for contract discussions with principal/vice-principal groups. Please be reminded that the November 30th deadline did not apply to non-unionized groups such as principals and vice-principals.

The B10 Memo sent from the Ministry to Directors of Education on Aug.18/08 stated, "Salary benchmarks for management and non-unionized staff of schools boards will also be increased by 3% in each of the years 2008-09 to 2011-12.  This increase will apply to all school boards regardless of eligibility for funding under the PDT Agreements." 

The B10 memo was shared with your negotiating teams at CPCO’s Employment Service Seminar in September.

The Dec.1st B14 memo to Directors further states that “all funding enhancements should flow to a board unless a bargaining unit is not PDT compliant.  As a result, non-unionized staff are deemed ‘automatically compliant’.”

Most boards have indicated that they are ready to discuss terms and conditions of employment with principals and vice-principals now that the union contracts are settled, and several groups have already reached contract agreements.

Should you have any further questions or concerns, contact your lead negotiator or the CPCO office.

Meeting with the Council of District Representatives

On November 21st and 22nd members of the Council of District Representatives (CDR) from around the province gathered in Toronto to participate in CPCO’s bi-annual CDR meetings. The full agenda was posted in last week’s e-zine. Highlights from the 2 days include a review of the new CDR Handbook, a pension update from OTF, legal trends from STERLON, and a reception and dinner in honour of Lou Rocha, Executive Director of CPCO 2000 to 2008. We were pleased that the Minister of Education took time to attend the reception and recognize Lou for his contributions to CPCO and Catholic education.

The November 12, 2008 newsletter outlined the responsibilities of the CDR, emphasizing the key role they play in communicating information about what is happening provincially with their local membership and informing the Executive of the many issues facing Catholic principals and vice-principals in Ontario. I wish to thank the CDRs for their attention during the information sessions and for the input and participation throughout the meeting days. I recognize that the time away from their schools was not convenient and likely added to their ever-increasing workload.

I encourage all members to attend local association meetings and to watch for highlights from the CDR meeting that is forthcoming from your representative.

Upcoming Events

Dec. 4 - Ministry Meeting (Ontario Statistical Neighbours Information System for Principals) | Niagara P/VP Association visit
Dec. 10 - Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Association visit

If you would like to comment or provide feedback on the President’s Journal, please contact Joan Duckitt at president@cpco.on.ca.