PSSP Bargaining Unit Newsletter:

Volume 4, Issue 3: February 21, 2006

President’s Message

As this is our first newsletter following the Christmas break I would like to welcome everyone back and hope you found your holidays restful and relaxing. With longer days and the March Break approaching I’m beginning to see more smiles as we look toward that light at the end of the tunnel.

I would like to recognize and congratulate Pat Pettit, Psychological Associate, for being this year’s PSSP recipient of the Bishop Townshend Award. She joins a prestigious group of PSSP’s who have won this award since amalgamation. Pat will be recognized on February 21st at the Awards Ceremony along with the other recipients. The Executive hopes she has a wonderful evening and would like to thank her for all that she has contributed to the students of the Thames Valley Board. We also wish her well in her retirement in June.

Currently nominations are being sought for the Award of Distinction. I strongly encourage that you nominate your deserving colleagues for this award. Traditionally, there have been few nominations within the PSSP group and I would like to see this change as I know there are many deserving people in this group. Please check the Board’s web page for nomination details. We continue to be in both Contract and Pay Equity negotiations and hope to move forward for our members’ benefit.

I attended the Collective Bargaining Committee Regional on February 3-4 in Kitchener. Two topics covered included WSIB Claims and Health and Safety in relation to transportation of students. Please remember that any workplace injury may potentially result in a WSIB claim, so you must notify your immediate supervisor of the injury and complete a WSIB form. As well, you must visit your doctor or a clinic and notify the physician that this is a workplace injury. These steps must be taken regardless of your degree of injury or pain. At the time this may seem unnecessary, however, we cannot predict how an injury may affect us in later years or if any future injury could complicate past injuries.

OSSTF also advises members to not transport students in any capacity. The Thames Valley Board and the PSSP Bargaining Unit agree that there are significant risks in transporting students and subsequently a fund has been developed to support the work we do with students. Remember, it is the schools’ responsibility for the safe transportation of its students and that you should never be required to transport. Please speak with your school administration for support in transporting their students or contact Jane Parker or OSSTF District Office for additional support.

It is our commitment to keep you updated on events happening within the District. I strongly encourage you to visit the District 11 web page and/or the provincial OSSTF web page or to call Nancy McDougall at the District Office (659-6588) if you have questions. Thank you for the continued support of your Union.

Sandra Miller
PSSP President.
District 11 OSSTF
Phone: 452-2954

Pat Pettit: 2006 Bishop Townshend Winner

Congratulations to Pat Pettit, the 2006 Bishop Townshend winner for the PSSP Bargaining Unit! The Criteria for selection of the recipient of this award are derived from Bishop Townshend’s philosophy of education. He believed that students must receive education in intellectual, physical, spiritual and social realms if they are to live a more abundant life. The educator who helps the student develop in such a rounded fashion would also demonstrate excellence in the areas of physical, social, intellectual and spiritual development.

The following is the script that was read about Pat at the Bishop Townshend Award dinner held on Tuesday, February 21, 2006:

“Pat Pettit has been a valued member of the Thames Valley District School Board’s Psychological Services Department for the past five years. She came to our Board from Madame Vanier Children’s Services and the skills she acquired there in working with children with exceptional emotional and behavioral needs have been greatly appreciated by the many schools in which she has worked.

Pat’s exceptional clinical and assessment skills are apparent to all who work with her. Wherever she has served in our school system, Pat has been appreciated for her quiet efficiency and for , her hard work and dedication to the needs of children and the needs of the system. As a relatively new member in our department, Pat was quick to become part of our team and take on extra responsibility as Chair of our Assessment Committee. She is also well known throughout Special Education Services for her participation in numerous professional development sessions on topics related to learning disabilities and programming for exceptional students. Pat has also worked at the system level to inservice new Learning Support Teachers in standardized achievement testing. This helps in the identification of children with special learning needs and with programming decisions for these students.

Throughout her career Pat has exemplified life long learning. As a young woman she graduated from Queen’s University with a degree in nursing and worked for some time as a Public Health nurse. In fact, her first job was as school nurse at H. B. Beal Secondary School. When her own children were school aged, she returned to university to complete a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology at UWO, with a special interest in attachment disorder. After working for some time as a psychometrist she competed the registration requirements to become a Psychological Associate with the College of Psychologists of Ontario and she has worked in this position during her time with this Board. Her background in nursing and previous work experience in the Early Infant Stimulation program at CPRI have made Pat particularly sensitive to the physical and developmental factors which can affect learning and behavior.

In her assessment role, Pat is extremely thorough and all her assessments show a respect for the complexity and uniqueness of each child. Her approach has a strong whole child focus, which considers the cognitive, physical and social / emotional factors that impact learning and behavior. Her understanding , authoritative and patient manner is appreciated by teachers and parents at the many school teams which she attends each month. Her willingness to work directly with parents to help them access appropriate services inside and outside the school system is particularly noteworthy.

Pat is a caring wife and mother and a very loving and devoted ( and proud ) grandmother to two year old twins Amy and Benjamin and two year old Aidan. She is an avid, daily walker, who teaches by example the importance of a healthy diet and regular physical activity. In her quiet, respectful way, she is a supportive friend and colleague whom we are proud to nominate for this award. Congratulations, Pat Pettit, the Bishop Townsend nominee for 2005-2006 from the Professional Student Services Personnel.”

Congratulations!

Outsourcing

The following article on outsourcing appeared in the November 30th volume of OSSTF’s provincial publication Update.

Outsourcing a Major Problem
By Nancy McDougall

For a number of years, members of the professional student services personnel (PSSP) and education assistants (EA) bargaining units around the province have been concerned about the outsourcing of their services within school boards. Outsourcing occurs when other agencies send employees into schools to perform work, at no charge to boards, that could and should be provided by our members. OSSTF has always been strongly opposed to contracting out (i.e. giving our jobs to a company to whom the board gives a contract), but outsourcing of our services and the increase in community partnerships in which school boards are entering has only recently generated the same level of concern locally and provincially.

There has been growing concern that the introduction of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services’ new $5 million Children’s Mental Health Fund initiative could result in the reduction of the number of PSSP and EA positions in Ontario school boards. The Ministry of Children and Youth in its document entitled, “Children and Youth Mental Health Fund: Toronto Regional Plan” (December 2, 2004), stated: “Participants identified that there needs to be a continuum of services available to school-aged children and youth, and that the school environment should be considered a hub for access to children’s mental health services and supports. Specific strategies included outreach services into schools (particularly to identified high-risk communities) from children’s mental health centres, the capacity to offer easily accessible crisis intervention, in-school teams, and referral for more intensive services as required.”

The school-based initiatives being proposed by this new funding could result in the contracting out and/or “outsourcing” of school-based services. The model appears to be based on a system where outside agencies provide the services previously performed by board employees who were part of the full service school team, specifically the members of our PSSP and EA bargaining units. Liken it to instructors from private agencies such as the Oxford Learning Centre or the Sylvan Learning Centre coming into our schools to do the work of our OSSTF teachers! The future vision appears to be one where services previously funded by the Ministry of Education and provided by qualified board employees may be replaced by professionals from outside agencies coming into the schools.

While school board partnerships with community agencies are not a new phenomenon, what appears to be new is the shift in funding responsibility from the traditional Ministries of Education, Community and Social Services and Health, towards this newly created Ministry of Children and Youth Services. In the past, outside agencies would be involved with students in our school system when a student was being moved in or out of treatment facilities or on a short term basis to provide a subject specific training program (i.e. quit smoking initiative). This intervention from outside agencies was on a short term basis, with the emphasis being on supporting a student through a transitional period or providing support to educators on a topical social issue. The mandate now appears to be expanding to out-sourced agency professionals entering our schools to provide assessment, emotional and/or social supports to students as part of the government’s promise to provide an integrated, seamless and efficient system of services for students.

PSSP and EA collective agreements typically do not have strong job security and no contracting out language, let alone language to prevent community agencies from partnering with school boards and providing services that could and should be provided by our members. School boards should be hiring additional PSSP and EA staff to provide these services rather than allowing outside agencies to provide these services within our schools. This trend could result in potential job losses for our PSSP and EA members, and a definite erosion of OSSTF’s full service school model. Minimally, it will result in a hiring freeze of PSSP/EA positions if not successfully challenged.

The Provincial Executive has made a commitment to continue to fight to protect the important work performed by our PSSP and EA members through a nine point plan that focusses on lobbying, information sharing and protection through  negotiations.  This  initiative will  require the support of Local districts and bargaining units, all three OSSTF departments – Collective Bargaining, Educational Services and Communications/Political Action – and the advice and action of all three Sector Council of Presidents.

What can you do to help? Please inform PSSP and EA bargaining unit presidents or your district presidents of any outsourcing occurring in your worksites. The OSSTF motto states: “Let us not take thought for our separate interests, but let us help one another.” Now is the time when PSSP and EA bargaining units need the help and support of all OSSTF members. Remember — together we are stronger.

Collective Bargaining Committee

Your Table Team is comprised of the following members: Nancianne Speare, liaison from the Provincial OSSTF office; Nancy McDougall, Federation Services Officer; Craig Read, Chief Negotiator; Sandra Miller, President; Audrey Cooley, Rob Guthrie, Cindy Woo and Val Hopkins (Alternate). The Team has been working incredibly hard over the past months preparing our Brief. Now that formal, confidential negotiations have begun I am unable to share details of the meetings but suffice it to say that we have had five full, productive days of negotiations with the Board and anticipate more meeting dates following March Break. The delay is, in part, due to the scheduling difficulties encountered when trying to coordinate Nanciannes’ busy itinerary with that of Beth Strong (Board chief negotiator) who is also negotiating with all three CUPE units and OSSTF’s Continuing Education Instructors. As soon as information is available to be released a General Membership meeting will be held to present the tentative contract and hold a ratification vote. If you are speaking with any member of your Team please take time to thank them for the long volunteer hours they are putting in on your behalf.

R. Craig Read,
Chief Negotiator

OMERS

Bill 206 is moving into third reading after a rare opportunity for two separate committee hearings. OSSTF has waged a strong lobby in order to make the positive changes to the bill that will finally provide our OMERS members with a direct voice in the future with the governance of their pension plan.

OSSTF has met with key MPPs and their staff to emphasize our position on the bill. As well, OSSTF has made two presentations to the Standing Committee on General Governance. The most recent presentation [January 25, 2006] is on the OSSTF website at www.osstf.on.ca. We have consistently asked that the government model the OMERS plan after the highly successful Teachers’ Pension Plan.

OSSTF has successfully achieved several important changes. The OMERS plan will remain a defined benefit plan for all current and future members. OSSTF will have a permanent seat on the Sponsors Corporation. The Sponsors Corporation will include representatives of OMERS employers and employees; the parallel in the Teachers’ Pension Plan is the “Partners” – the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation. Further, we will have the opportunity to appoint an expert to the Administration Corporation. This is extremely important because our appointee will be part of the first Administration Corporation under the new legislated structure and will help determine the future structure of the plan. Lobbying continues against the mandated two-thirds majority needed for plan changes.

TVDSB Retirement Seminar
For
OMERS and TPP members

 Wednesday, March 22, 2006
7:00-10:00 p.m.
at CEC-Central

Register through your TVDSB Employee Portal— “Registration Access”

Registration Deadline—March 3, 2006

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Let us not take thought for our separate interests, but let us help one another.
(OSSTF Motto)

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