WEYBURN – The Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division is as prepared as they can be for future job actions by the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF), said education director Gwen Keith, noting everything ran smoothly during the one-day strike on Jan. 16.
She told the board of trustees at their board meeting on Wednesday that she had just received notice that morning from the STF of the next job action, set to start on Jan. 22, but at that point did not know what the job action would entail.
“Things went very smoothly (on Jan. 16),” she said, noting she was emailed directly by the STF when the next job action would be.
Holy Family has a committee of administrators that meets as soon as they’re notified of a job action, and they use a detailed communication plan to then inform parents and other stakeholders of what the school division will do.
“We try to be really clear what the sanction is and what it meant, and what it means to the different stakeholders,” said Keith, pointing out that clarity in their communications “is critical” to ensure there are no misunderstandings about what is to happen.
There are support staff at each of the schools who are not part of the STF job action, and they ensure the school buildings are open and accessible, and can answer any questions from parents or anyone who needs to know what’s happening.
For the school division’s part, they also need accurate records management so they know what to pay their teaching staff if they are off due to job actions.
With the notification of the Jan. 22 job action, Keith said, “We will problem-solve once we know more about what will happen, depending on what it is. It’s an interesting dynamic that we’re into, and we’re trying to support all of the players involved. We’re doing it the Holy Family way.”
She added that child safety is of critical importance at all of their schools, and added, “We don’t want to disrupt instruction any more than we have to.”
Asked if any students showed up for school on Jan. 16, she noted there weren’t any children who came to any of the schools, as they had been able to send information to all parents in time.
“How careful do we have to be with the public?” asked board chair Bruno Tuchscherer.
“We’re taking the middle ground. Whatever decision is going to be made, we have to be as transparent and as sensitive as we can be going forward, for however long this takes,” said Keith.
Asked about one of the sticking issues of classroom complexity, Keith said this is a reality they have to deal with in the classes, with a large number of cultures represented, as well as students with special needs.
“We have challenges, and we are increasingly complex,” she noted.
As far as taking sides in the labour dispute, Keith said the school division is “politically neutral” and provides support to whoever needs support during this time.
“We’re as organized as we can be,” she said. “We have to be sure we’re fair to everybody. For some, it’s not the first time around.”
