The agreement in principle reached at the end of December between the Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE) and Quebec allocates $33.3 million to implement measures to reduce class composition, a key demand of teachers during the conflict, Le Journal has learned.
• Also read: The FAE's general approval is already not unanimous
The agreement, the contents of which have not yet been communicated to the vast majority of FAE member teachers, contains two annexes detailing a “prevention mechanism” aimed at facilitating the composition of classes, the severity of which was loudly denounced by many teachers during of the strike.
At the primary level, new groups are planned to open as soon as space and teachers are available, while at the secondary level, priority is given to the recruitment of special education specialists (see details below).
According to our information, the overall agreement includes additional elements relating to francization services and teaching assistance, which are also aimed at providing breathing space for teachers. However, these two appendices contain the bulk of the measures that specifically affect the composition of the class and are taken after five weeks of the strike.
Evaluation mechanism
In order to determine which groups benefit from these measures, an “evaluation mechanism” will first be set up.
The “level of difficulty” of students in the same cohort is assessed for each level based on the number of students with an intervention plan and the number of students in need of French language training in a regular class.
At primary level, if cumulative difficulties reach the 60% threshold, the education of a new group of students will be funded, “subject to space and the availability of legally qualified teachers,” it says. Otherwise, students will be offered $4,000 in additional services.
If no other relief measure can be taken, the teacher will receive an $8,000 bonus as a last resort.
Just over $19 million will go toward reducing the elementary school class composition.
At the secondary level, an amount of $14.2 million will instead be used to introduce “remedial measures” when students' difficulty levels reach the 50% threshold.
Adding special education professionals is considered a “priority,” while other measures such as adding services or opening groups could also be taken.
At both primary and secondary levels, the measures and the distribution of the amounts are determined after committee consultation.
Various measures are planned for the preschool sector, where the vast majority of students in difficulty do not yet have an intervention plan.
The Autonomous Education Federation declined to comment on the information received by Le Journal on Friday in order not to interfere in the debates that will take place at the general assembly starting next week.
An agreement that is not yet unanimous
The vast majority of the FAE's 66,500 members have not yet been able to read the details of this proposed regulation presented at the end of December.
However, union delegates from certain local unions have already been entitled to a presentation of the agreement in recent days.
Members of the West Montreal Teachers' Union approved it, while delegates from the Pointe-de-l'Île Teachers' Union rejected it.
The class composition measures particularly disappointed secondary school teachers, who were hoping for a more robust mechanism that would lead to a reduction in the number of students in the most difficult groups.
For its part, the Autonomous Education Federation recommends its members to ratify in principle this agreement, which made it possible to put an end to a historic five-week strike.
As far as the composition of the class is concerned, the agreement basically provides for the following:
Evaluation mechanism
Student difficulty level is determined for the cohort using a calculation based on the number of students with an intervention plan and those requiring francization in a mainstream class.
Primary: $19.1 million
When the cumulative difficulty reaches the 60% threshold, a mechanism is triggered:
Opening to groups subject to the availability of space and legally qualified teachers
If it is not possible to open a group, “mitigation measures” (teaching assistance, additional or individual services) will be funded in the amount of an additional $4,000.
If adding remedial measures is not possible, the teacher will receive a one-time bonus of $8,000.
Secondary: $14.2 million
When the cumulative difficulty reaches the 50% threshold, “mitigation measures” are taken:
Addition of special education technicians (TES) as a priority
Addition of complementary or special services
Reducing other assigned work tasks
Opening of groups, provided that space and legally trained teachers are available
At both primary and secondary levels, the measures to be implemented and the distribution of the amounts are determined after committee consultation.
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