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SCHOOL FOR 13’s The board also said it vould consider the possibility BY JIM IRVING The distance between York ount-y Boar-d of Education nd the Ontario Secondary chcoi Teachers‘ Federation 'n their present salary nego- iations, is the width of Sieeles Avenue, Vince Ma- ‘he-wson, chief negotiator or the OSST‘F, told a press conference at the Black Hawk Inn in Richmond Hill, Friday afternoon. The conference was cal- led to discuss the latest ac- tion by the school board, in which it agreed to accept the resignations of the 667 teach- ers who walked off their jobs. January 31, and to start hiring new ones. V The action was “totally ‘unacce-ptable” to the students, teachers and the majority of the community. Mr. Mathew- son said, TOTALLY UNACEPTABLE Db] inc, IIUVV Ill Before the ADD olnuu representations. LBesides the numerous re- nlutions, the meeting also eard Donald Deacon. MLA fork Centre. offer a public pology to Trustee Doreen uirk, of Markham; and rustee Robert Houghton, of ichmond Hill, a high school eacher who refused to de- Lare a conflict of interest ith the OSSTF. Besides Mr. Houghton, ther teachers on the board. re John McMurray, Whit- hurch-Stouffville, and John‘ vv wv... A separate program would also be instituted for those grade 12 students, who will be winding up their second- ary schooling this year and going on to community col- leges. or some other course. The resolutions'passed by the board were as follows: The board begin advertising for teachers, and staff be directed to take the neces- sary steps to fill the comple- ment of teachers so that reg- ular programscan begin with-| Voting against wereâ€"Tru evening was over, the board had moved and passed five different resolutions, and three different delegations had made their own Ross Jolliffe, Vaughai Doreen Quirk, Donald C01 sens, Markham; Merna Co bourne. chairman, Eas Gwillimbury; Thomas John ton, Georgina Townshi Douglas Allen. Richmor Hill; Marvin Hunter ar Margaret Coburn. King; Jol McMurray, Whitchurc Stouffville; Conrad Thom son, Richmond Hill; Morl: Kinee Vaughan and .101 Honsberger Markham. s ‘lr-_..-.. Dfi:‘:n nu niowski. Schomberg. rustee Quirk is a former eacher. Queried s e v e 1‘ a1 times i about the importance of pupil-teacher ratio, Mr. Ma- thewson at first declared it wasn't the key issue, and then later declared, that by uSing the Steeles Avenue analogy, he meant that it represented the differenCe in pupil-teach- er ratio and salaries enjoyed by teachers on the south side of Steeles. H busing all grade 13 stud- entsâ€"there are 1.050 in the tountyâ€"to one or two cen- ‘ral schools, so that they can ‘;omp1ete their courses, even _John Honsberger, cha-i‘rlmgn of YOIâ€"‘icéounty Board of Education’s negptla‘ting committee, has denied that acceptance of the teachers’ resig- natlons by the board and the agreement to hire new teachers, is a ploy to force the teachers back to work. > _ _ LULLC bllc Lcabllcla Mann Irv Viv-unn- The question was put to Mr. Honsberger by newsmen following a marathon public meeting Thursday of last week at the board offices in Aurora, at which an overflow crowd sat, stood and slumped in every available space, and listened and questioned as both the board and their own representatives gave their views on the secondary school teachers’ strike, now in its sixth week. 1 ,1 Ar___-_‘l £3..- f the strike continues in- eflnitely. He said also that salaries and PTR were the major issues dividing the two sides, although many minor ones had been resolved. In answer to another ques- tion. he said the OSSTF would be willing to make concessions if the board agreed to negotiate PTR. Mr. Mathewson said the latest teacher proposal show- ed that they were willing to negotiate PTR “by any name or in any form." The proposal also asked that PTR be not less than 12:00 to 1, nor higher than 12.5 -to 1 for occupational and special vocational cour- ses. unless mutua'lly agreed upon by the board and the local federation. Using the projected enrol- ment for all other courses, the PTR should not be less than 17.0 to 1, nor higher than 17.4 to 1 under the lathewson Says Steeles Boundary tumbling Block Salaries ccepting Teachers' ResignationsNo Ploy Deacon Offers Apology T 0 Trustee Quirk A separate program would also be instituted for those grade 12 students, who will be winding up their second- ary schooling this year and going on to community col- leges. or some other course. The resolutions passed by the board were és follows: The board begin advertising for teachers, and staff be directed to take the neces- sary steps to fill the comple- ment of teachers so that reg- ular programs can begin with- out delay. And those teachers who have resigned, be invited to return to work. A subsequent amendment by Trustee Raniowski. set the date for the advertising and hiring of the teachers to be- gin March 15. w'i‘he motion, for which a recorded vote was taken, was carried 12 to 8. FOR AND AGAINST same terms, Uhe proposal stated. In view of the board's la- test proposal to accept the resignatxons. Mr. Mathewson said the federation had sent a telegram to all provincial teachers organizabions, plus "key international groups." soliciting their support. The telegram said that, should any teacher apply for and accept secondary school position with the York board during the disâ€" pute. ‘he or she could not expect ‘any ‘fu-ture assistance from OSSTF. VMr. Mathewson said it would probably get the sup- port of enough teachers to make it difficult for the board to hire. Mr. Mathewson said the reason why the rest of the board members ‘hnad backed the negotiating team, was, that they would “lose theirmarbles" if they didn’t. ‘ OMNIPOTENT When asked to amplify the statement, he said that {he board was “very zealous- ly guarding its power. The retention of omnipo-tent pow- er is their main concern." Could the federation pre- vent teachers from working with the board? He said the beard had taken the extracurricular jobs that the teachers did vcluntarily and put them on a compulsory basis. If the teachers didn’t “fulfill their responsibilities" in these areas, they would be dis- charged. Thve board was all power- f-ul at present, the leaders had no say‘. “It's important that you put on record how much dis- cussion took place on that document," one man said from the floor. Mr. Mat‘hewson said discus- sion had closed off at 5 pm. The matter was introduced at 4 pm. Voting for wereâ€"Trusty: With the continuing im- passe. could parents remain patient? asked, apother mgr}: Said Mr. Mathewson: “It could be settled tomorrOW. if we said ‘you're in charge of the castle and we'll take By JIM VII_{_VI_NG~ would those 0 will econd- it and y col- :ourse. :ed by )llows: rtising [ff be neces- omple- at reg- Ross Jolliffe, Vaughan; Doreen Quirk, Donald Cou- sens, Markham; Merna Col- bourne. chairman, East Gwillimbury; Thomas Johns- ton, Georgina Township; Douglas Allen. Richmond Hill; Marvin Hunter and Margaret Coburn. King; John McMurray. Whitchurch- Stouffville; Conrad Thomp- son, Richmond Hill; Morlee Kinee Vaughan and John Honsberger Markham. Voting against wereâ€"Trus- tees Warren Bailie and Robert Houghton. Richmond Hill; Mariane Gillan, Georg- ina Township; Norm Weller. Aurora; Donald Sim and John MacKay, Markham; Craig Cribar. Newmarket; and John RaniOWSki. The other resolutionsâ€"The board implement the most re- cent (job) proposal to those teachers employed at present the crumbs." BOTH SIDES NOW He said people must care- fully view both sides and de- civde whether the board or the federation should make the next move. 7 Question: Are the students suffering more than they should be? Ansii/er: Yes, but the board must share some responsibi- lity. Question: Was the federa- ticn going, to assist in the matter of obbaining scholar- ships for deserving students, who were losing out because of the strike? Answer: The federation had made overture-s to the ministry of cducation and had some commitments. These were not elaborated Question: How are you as- slsting students? Angwer: Teadhers were available on a one-to-one ba- sis fcr councelling and tutor- mg Question: What had hap- pened to the students’ mark, which had to be submitted to the Ministry by March 15. Answer: The marks Would be submitted: the responsi- bility was with the princi- pals. Question: Can -you forsee a settlement the way things are going now? Answer: Yes if t‘hey can get down to the bargaining table, where the board would have to show its reasoning. The board was reluctant to divulge its position on things, Mr. Mathewson said. Also appearing with him at the press conference were Eric Mclean, executive assis- tant, District 11 of the OSSTF, and Jack Lindop, chief negotiator flor the ele- mentary school teachers in York. Let Lansing Build it for you STOP STALLING â€" DO IT NOW JIM WESSELS, 291-9961 or after 6 pm, 887-5552 258 Sheppard Ave. E., Willowdale - 225-7726 2021 Kennedy Rd. at Hwy. 401 - 291-9961 Hours: Mon. to Wed. to 6 o Thurs. & Fri. to 9 0 Sat. to o Cottages 0 Family Rooms 0 House Additions 0 Office Renovations 0 Bathrooms 0 Kitchens THE LANSING SERVICE INCLUDES: 0 Firm quotations 0 Proper planning 0 Guaranteed workmanship 0 Selection of proper materials 0 Free estimates 0 Job co-ordinated from start to finish TOPS IN QUALITY AT A PRICE YOU CAN AFFORD! Winter renovation time is here. Do-it-now, large showroom for the best material selection. Men & Material Available. LANSING BU1LDING SUPPLY mg? â€" CALL NOW _ NO COST, NO OBLIGATION -â€"â€" by the board, and that the negotiating committee be directed to prepare a pro- posal on March 11. A11 teachers who have con- tracted to work. will receive retroactive pay to September 1, 1973. The final tWO resolutions were both directed at Pre- mier William Davis. The first called for the board to request the Premier take necessary action direct- ing the teachers to return to their jobs, and that all un- settled matters be referred to binding arbitration. The second called on the Premier to amend the Teach- ing Profession Act, so that teachers can be hired by the board of education without belonging to the Ontario Teachers Federation. OSSTF INFLEXIBLE In speaking to the resolu- tion calling for acceptance of the teacher resignations, Mr. Honsberger said the board no longer felt the OSSTF was negotiating in good faith. He said the OSS'I'F had re- mained so inflexible in its negotiations that the board felt the only way to resolve the strike. was to give the teachers everything they ask- ed for. He said there wasn't any way the board could possibly hire all the teachers it need- ed in the next month. How- ever, there was 250 teachers working at present, and it was hoped that some of the present staff on strike would come back, FINAL STRAW Also. it was felt there Were numerous other teachers around who would like jobs in secondary schools. Margaret McLean, com- munications officer for the board, said that the "final straw," so far as the board was concerned, was the “sud- den escalation of the propa- ganda campaign of the OSSTF.” including an "in- flammatory" half-page ad in a Torontb newsbafier last week. Directed at teachers, secre- taries and school custodians, the add asked “Why are so many employees of the York County Board of Education Deacon Asks Voters For Trusteeship Donald Deacon, MLA York Centre. has asked registered voters to sign a request to the province to set up a trusteeship to get the schools back into full operation on terms agreeable to the gov- ernment. Mr. De-acon made his pro- posal fsl‘lowd'ng refusal of the York County Board of Trustees to submit to his suggestion to resign and let the government take over. Instead the board voted 12 to 8 -t-o accept the resigna- tion of the 667 secondary school teachers and start hir- ing new ones, March 15. Mr. Deacon said 'he had asked that the ‘trusteeship be terminated as soon as an election for a new school beard can be held. “In this way, _the students can get back into the schools immediately and the issue of who is right and wrong in PROFESSIONALLY REC ROOM CHARGEX KITCHEN Built For You Have Your Of unhappy player?" Citing possible strike ac- tion being considered by the various groups. the ad also stated that the secretaries had voted to join the Cana- dian Union of Public Em- ployees. but the school hadn't negotiated with them since last July. Mrs. McLean termed this "deliberately misleading." as the federation was aware the board was prevented by law from approaching this group while it certification MLA Deacon was taken to task by Mrs. Quirk, who re- futed a statement of his that she had stated she was pre- pared to resign if a settle- ment wasn’t reached soon. Mr. Deacon, who had sug- gested the trustees resign be- cause of the standstill, apolo- gized to Mrs. Quirk, saying that he had been hasty in the matter. Mrs. Quirk later asked fellow Trustee Houghton if he would declare his con- flict of interest as a member of the OSSTF when the vote on accepting the resignations was presented. Mr. Hough- ton refused to do so. Also making representa- tions were “A Quorum of Parents‘ Council, headed by Jenny Acton. of Schomberg; and by Reverends Robert Smith and Robert McElhin- ney. both of Richmond Hill, representing area clergymen. The two men urged the board to settle its dispute and offered the services of the clergy in “bringing about necessary systemic changes which we believe to be essential to the process of reconciliation." The parents' group urged the board to act on the resignations and hire new teachers. Other members of the group were: Helen Poulis, Bill Skarett and Mrs. G. Gleurm. From the amount of applause given to various issues during the evening by the audience, it appeared as if the latter was just as divided as the board in its feelings. (the dispute can be settled in the best court we haveâ€"the ballot box,” Mr Deacon said. said‘ Equally outspoken against the board were John and Melba Lounsbury, 188 St. Anthony‘s Court, Richmond Hill, who sent the following telegram to John Hons- b'erger. chairman of the trustees’ negotiating com- mittee. “As parents, taxpayers and voters, the educational sys- tem of York County is treat- ing us shamefully. Your board was elected to conduct educational affairs in our County and you have failed us. We especially resent and are disgusted with your fork- ed togue pronouncements through the media and your refusal to compromise in the interests of education in our County." WALLY HOLMES 291-9961 VISIT OUR SHOWROOMS with their em- was considering ONTARIO School Hours Shouldn Mr. Honsberger was reply- ing to a question from the floor from a Thornhill wo- man, who wondered if Edu- cation Minister Thomas Wells had felt the matter to be critical. Mr. Honsberger said the Minister had not considered it to be so, and he, Hons- berger, felt it was up to the schools to see how they should handle the problem. The questioner also wond- ered if either the board or the 0 n t a r i 0 Secondary School Teachers’ Federation had made arrangements with universities in the province to give special consideration to York students who would be entering university in the fall. Also, had any arrange- ments been made to accom- modate technical students in community colleges at the end of the present school year. By JIM IRVING The number of hours spent by high school students in class this year, should not be a crit- ical issue in determining their final standing, John Honsberger, chairman of York County Board of Education, told a public meeting at Thornlea Secondary School in Thornhill last week. Ralph Connor. represent- ing the OSSTF. said he didn’t know firsthand of any representations to the universities, but had heard from Vince Mathewson, chief negotiator for the OSSTF, that the universities wouldn’t prejudice entry of York stud- ents because of the present situation. The meeting was called by concerned parents in the area to discuss the current walkout of sec- ondary school teachers. An estimated 950 people were in attendance. He said he had no know- ledge of the same thing ap- plying to the technical stud- ents. Mr. Honsberger said the universities had been ap- Dorene Trunk Leader R. Hill Protest , If the provincial govern- ment doesn‘t commit itself to a date for getting York school children back into class by Tuesday night (March 12) then the Par- ents Action Groups from the region will be in Toronto schools by Wednesday morn- ing to register their child- ren, Dorene Trunk. 267 Gretel Drive, said this week. Mrs. Trunk, who organized the PAC of Richmond Hill, said the group had plan- ned to enroll the students in Toronto on Monday. March 11. However, it had delayed its plans. pending the latest word from Educa- tion Minister Thomas Wells, who was considering sev- eral options at that time. including sending both sides to compulsory arbitration. The government since de- cided on that course. giving the teachers, who have opâ€" posed arbitration all along, until 9 pm Monday to de- cide. Monday night, the teachers turned down the plan. UNIVERSITIES APPROACHED proached by the board and were well aware of appli- cants from this area. Com- munity colleges had also been informed and Seneca College, for one. “was bend- ing over backwards" to ac- commodate the students. In reply to a question from a student as to how lost time would be made up, Mr. Hons- berger said the “best answer should come from your teachers." If the strike were settled quickly, it was hoped the teachers ,could make up the bulk of what was lost through extra work periods -â€" less spares â€" and a pos- sible extension of the school day. Jack Stone, of Grandview Avenue. Thornhill, said he felt the “system” could be the problem. It was too un- wieldly, too many supervis- ors and chiefs. The teachers tended to be ignored. Instead of worrying about a pupil-teacher ratio, per- haps there should be a “board-teacher ratio,” Mr. Stone said. He said also, to big ap- plause, that management must remain in the hands of the school board. Mr. Honsberger said he agreed it would be nice to get back to a smaller opera- tion, but it was impossible to go back. Everything was larger now. In fact. the board had too few administrators. They put in many lengthy hours in the office and didn‘t have time The decision by PAG, which was released by Rev. Charles Edwards of St. James Anglican Church in Sutton, organizer of the stu- dent march on Queen’s Park last week. said that many new PAG groups in the reg- ion had voted their support of the action. THE LIBERAL, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Thursday, March 14, 1974 15 Richmond Hill Rotary Club has sent a message to Edu- cation Minister Thomas Wells expressing its concern about the current teachers strike and urging the gov- ernment to bring it to an end. “It has become apparent that the board and the Teachers Federation are un- able to resolve their dif- ferences alone. We think it is essential therefore that the Province take the neces- sary steps to resolve this dis- pute forthwith, so that the students may resume their education without further delay," the message read.. It was signed by club president Dr. Dennis Stainer. to get out and visit with the teachers the way they should. t Be Critical Problem He said the ratio of super- intendents to students in York was the second lowest in the province. INSUL’l‘ Mr. Connor took exception with one questioner, who asked if York was being singled out as a political tar- get by the OSSTF. To say so was an insult, Mr. Connor said. There was no possible way the OSSTF could set a trend in negotia- tions; in fact, a settlement had been reached in North- umberland by sitting in the same room across the table without the mediator. He said that, in calling the strike. the teachers had un- dertaken a “drastic step," feeling that the only way they could get a settlement was through pressure. He said meetings, such as the one that night, put pressure on both groups. Reverend Ernest Johns of Thornhill, said area minis- ters had made an appeal to the teachers and trustees in an effort to get them to resolve the dispute. One of the points made in their statement was that there was “an obvious need for an ongoing process of reform within the system it- self." Was this need brought about by the bigness of the system? The community needed to be able to relate to the local school. The petition, signed by 20 members of the clergy, also offered them assistance, both in the immediate resolution of the dispute, and in bring- ing about necessary changes they felt essential to the process of reconciliation. The clergymen asked the two sides to: negotiate now with a view to immediate settlement. negotiate all out- standing issues, get the teachers and students back into the classrooms, recog- nize the gravity of the sit- uation both within and with- out the educational system, and agree to compromise set positions in the interests of an immediate settlement of the impasse. INFORMAL MEETINGS Signing the petition were: Bernard Barrett. Donald Downer. James Dauphinee, John McTavish, William Wallace, David Dyer. Robert Smith, David Sproule and Robert McElhinney of Rich- mond Hill; Ernest Johns and Reginald Howden of Thornhill; Arthur Thomson, John Hunter, Homer Mc- Avoy, Fred Hall and Paul Kritsch of Aurora; Douglas Paterson, Kettleby; Norman McNairn, Sutton; and Don- ald Parr and Charles Beaton of Markham. Mr. Honsberger said that meetings such as the one in progress, were the best ways for the group to get involv- ed. Mr. Connor said they should speak to the trustees and attend board meetings at every opportunity. They should also meet with the teachers and the board in an informal setting, without the administrators in attendance. He said he wasn’t downgrad- ing the latter, but they did tend to have an inhibiting effect. Another speaker, a woman, who was also a parent and a teacher. wanted to know if both sides were in favor of “face-to-iace meetings on the nutsâ€"and-bolts issues we decide here? Also, were they ready to send the teach- ers back to school by March 7? -Mr. Connor said “yes” to the first question and "no" to the second. Mr. Honsberger said it was up to the mediator to see if they should meet face to face. So far as the second ques- tion was concerned, it wasn’t for him to say, but the teach- ers. “You’re over 21." said an- other speaker. “You don’t need anybody to hold your hand. Let's go." Mr. Honsberger said they had had 40 meetings with- out the mediator and hadn't achieved anything. Since working with a mediator, they were now getting some- where. One woman wondered if the board were instituting any scholarships, seeing as the five-week layoff had made thé grade 135 inelig- ible for scholarships. Mr. Honsberger said he didn't know what the board would do, but he would pre- sent the matter at the next meeting and the board would consider it. The speaker said also that she was “exasperated at the length of time the negotia- tions have gone on. I hope the public will have a long memory in the next elec- tion," she concluded." 1mm“um\uuunmuuuumni\um\\\umuummuummmm The remark drew pro- longed applause. A fiavid hCork chaired the meeting. Assisting him were Peter Ritchie and Merv Hol- stein. mum\munmmummumu“nnummmuuunummnnuml Much of what went on at a meeting called by the Students' Action Com- mittee at King Secondary School last Sunday after- noon to discuss the cur- rent teachers’ strlke in York County, was old hat. But there were at least a couple of firsts. The meeting, which at- tracted between 400 and 500 people to hear OSSTF panelists, Dave Robinson and Ralph Connor, also attracted a couple of streakers, who roared ac- ross the back of the stage during a discourse by a female member of the and- ience, who. witnesses said, gained the undivided at- tention of her audience for the first time that after- noon. The streakers, them- selves, kept right on go- ing after their stage de- but. out the front door and into a waiting car, where no doubt, they also made a costume change. A petition, signed by 300 students, was presented to the meeting by Nick Pap- andreou, of SAC. calling for support of the teachers and an end to the six-week- old strike. Two Streaks And Out!