Working Together for Students: A Framework for Long Term Stability in Education toward a 10-Year Agreement with Public School Teachers

In October 2012, Premier Christy Clark announced government would consult with the education partners for the purpose of reviewing teacher bargaining structures and processes with the goal of providing a more stable learning environment for British Columbia students. The review looked for opportunities to achieve two priorities: (1) Create long-term stability for students and families, as well as the education system as a whole; and (2) Improve how government interacts and works with the British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF) to help reduce the stress and disruption during and outside of contract negotiations. Government's view was informed by submissions from key education partners--most importantly, the BCTF--but also from previous reviews of teacher bargaining in B.C. and research into other potential bargaining models. The result is a proposed new framework for teacher bargaining and a more effective way of working together. With the goal of securing a 10-year agreement with the BCTF, government proposes a new teacher collective bargaining framework based on four key elements: (1) A dedicated Priority Education Investment Fund (PEIF) to address education priorities; (2) A new Education Policy Council (EPC) of representatives from government, the BCTF and boards of education trustees to advise government on public education policy priorities, including allocation of the PEIF; (3) Indexing of teachers' compensation to an average of other major public sector increases; and (4) A new structured and transparent bargaining process. Two appendices are included: (1) New Bargaining Process; and (2) Summary of Partner Recommendations.