One way in which you can participate in the public consultation for the K-12 Education Review is by providing a written submission to the Commission. A written submission is an excellent opportunity to get your voice on the record about the realities of Manitoba’s classrooms and the challenges you face in your specific school or division as well as offer recommendations on ways to improve our public education system.

To ensure the Commission considers your submission, please include:

• Your name and contact information; and
• References for any supporting documentation referred to in your submission.

Submissions may be sent to:
K12educationcommission@gov.mb.ca
Fax: 204-945-0221
Manitoba’s Commission on Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education
470 – 800 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3G 0N4
The deadline for receipt of written submissions is May 30, 2019.

Last month the provincial government announced sweeping changes to education funding that will have a huge impact on every public school teacher in the province.
So far, the government has said it will:
• Essentially cut K-12 funding by keeping direct financing of education to less than the rate of inflation and limit the amounts school boards can raise through taxation.
• Freeze salaries of school staff, including teachers, for two years and limit increases for another two years after that.
• Institute a system of provincial bargaining whereby most, if not all, collective bargaining is done at a central table.
• Implement a full review of the education system that the province says will lead to the most profound changes in a generation.
While details of some of the changes are still unclear, it is apparent that the immediate changes will come at a cost to teachers and students.
UP-TO-DATE  information on critical issues:MTS President’s letter to members
March story on issues from The Teacher
BE HEARD ON  brochures:Bill 28
Bureau de l’education française (BEF)
Literacy, Numeracy and the PISA Debate
Section 43
Speak out! Guide for Writing Letters to Politicians

​MTS President Norm Gould has issued the following statement for MTS members:

Colleagues,

Today the Progressive Conservative government introduced Bill 28, The Public Services Sustainability Act.

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society is extremely disappointed to see the government introduce heavy-handed legislation that would bypass the bargaining table and impose 4 years of wage freezes and wage caps for public sector workers – including teachers – well below the cost of living.

This will apply to the thousands of public sector workers, many who already have shown their willingness to be part of the solution, by agreeing – at the bargaining table – to two years of frozen wages.

We know that bargaining is the proven way to find solutions that work for both employers and workers. We’d much rather try to work things out together, by talking and negotiating at the bargaining table.

We have a strong and long history of bargaining fair negotiated settlements with our respective employer groups and this transgression that disrupts this well-established and successful process is shameful.

Bill 28 is further evidence that this government is fixated on balancing the budget at the expense of the public services so many families count on and the people who provide them.

This appalling legislation follows on the government’s uninformed dismantling of the cap on K-3 classroom size which was providing better learning outcomes for our schools and students. The K-3 Smaller Class Size Initiative resulted in the hiring of 454 new teachers, so its dismantling means that fewer teachers will be working on the front lines in Manitoba classrooms.

Bill 28 At A Glance:

• Bill 28 does not appear to open up existing collective agreements as the four year schedule is not fixed. Therefore Manitoba’s teachers wage freeze and cap will take effect July 1st, 2018;
• Bill 28 imposes a four-year wage scale that includes freezes and caps:
YEAR 1: 0
YEAR 2: 0
YEAR 3: 0.75 percent
YEAR 4: 1 percent

We are reviewing this legislation closely and we will provide you with information as it is received.

– Norman R. Gould, President, The Manitoba Teachers’ Society

​
See summary of Bill 28 by the law firm Myers Weinberg at: http://www.myersfirm.com/files/Public_Services_Sustainability_Act_-_Bill_28.pdf

On Thursday, December 3rd, Education Minister James Allum announced that the Province of 
Manitoba will be repatriating The Manitoba Teachers’ Society Act. This is a significant 
announcement for the Manitoba Teachers’ Society because it empowers us to amend the MTS 
constitution independently thereby enabling us to modernize its language and enhance the 
image of the teaching profession in the province and the role of The Manitoba Teachers’ 
Society. 

Why is this important? 

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society is an incorporated entity that is governed by provincial 
legislation. Our organization’s constitution, the supreme governing document, is also an act of 
the legislature called The Manitoba Teachers’ Society Act. 

Legislation is drafted to reflect the needs of the day. In 1942, when the Manitoba rTeachers’ 
Society Act was assented, the Act’s objectives reflected the priorities of teachers of the day and 
protected the profession. As time passed, the profession evolved and irregularities and 
inconsistencies in the Act began to emerge, so amendments to the Act were needed. However, 
the necessary amendments had to be done through legislative amendments which, as is the 
case with all legislation, can be a tedious process. 

Over the years, The Manitoba Teachers’ Society has repeatedly asked government to amend our 
constitution (The Act) so that we can make these changes, but these requests did not succeed. 
Consequently, today many of the terms contained in the Act remain outdated and do not apply 
to Manitoba’s current educational climate. 

For example, in 2001 the Province announced the amalgamation of school divisions, so in 2003, 
2004 and 2006 The MTS Provincial Council passed resolutions calling on the government to give 
MTS the ability to make changes to the constitution’s language to reflect these amalgamations, 
but to no avail. As a result, a recent review of the MTS Handbook exposed many areas of 
confusion that were difficult to reconcile given the antiquated language in our constitution. 

This announcement is the culmination of years of hard work to give MTS the authority to control 
our constitution so we are able to evolve at the same pace as the education profession. 
Ultimately it enables us to grow so that we will be stronger tomorrow than we are today.

Courtesy of MTS