Ottawa’s largest public school board will continue bargaining with high school teachers in hopes of ending ongoing job action.
The Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) says it is once again talking with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF).
An emergency board meeting was held Tuesday night without reaching an agreement, but talks are set to continue through the week.
High school teachers have been withholding marks and scaling back supervision of students to protest the provincial government’s anti-strike wage freeze bill.
"Without question, we have experienced some localized incidents in schools which serve as a reminder of the importance of supervision, the value of the work of all of our employees, and the need for shared behavioural expectations," said OCDSB director of education Jennifer Adams in a blog post.
Five Ontario school boards have now reached tentative deals with their high school teachers to end job action, which began Nov. 12.
Two of those deals have been approved by Education Minister Laurel Broten, while three are pending.
Both Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and OSSTF head Ken Coran say they hope the first two deals would serve as a template for others across the province.
"I think it acts as a beacon to other boards and other federation locals - think it represents a fact that we can get this done by working together," McGuinty said.
"I'm very grateful for the work that went into this, and I'm hopeful other boards and federations can build on this example."
"Certainly there's been a lot going on province-wide . . . this will be part of the provincial context," said OCDSB chair Jennifer McKenzie.
Talks are set with elementary school teachers are set for early December; those teachers will be in a legal strike position as of Dec. 3.
With files from The Canadian Press and a report from CTV Ottawa's Claudia Cautillo
