OSSTF/FEESO Welcomes Regulation 274 Final Report

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 21, 2014) - The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) welcomes the findings of the Ontario Regulation 274 Final Report, which was released today by the Ministry of Education. Regulation 274 was enacted in 2012 with the goal of creating a fair, transparent and consistent process through which occasional teachers could move into permanent or long-term occasional positions. The report, based on a comprehensive study in which OSSTF/FEESO participated, outlines both negative and positive outcomes of the regulation's implementation, as identified both by school boards across Ontario and by the province's teachers' federations.

"There are always opportunities for procedural improvements, but this study clearly indicates that where school boards have fully complied with the regulation, the desired outcomes were met," said OSSTF/FEESO President Paul Elliott.

"The report confirms that a teacher's experience really does matter when it comes to that teacher's ability to positively impact student success," Elliott continued. "The Regulation ensures that experience is considered in the hiring process, and that's a very good thing for students."

Elliott pointed out that according to the study, there have been no instances in which compliance with the Regulation has resulted in a position being filled by a teacher who was not qualified, and there has been no increase in instances of unsatisfactory teacher performance.

"This report shows that, when properly applied, Regulation 274 largely achieves the goal of creating a fair and transparent hiring process," concluded Elliott. "We know that there is always room for positive change, and we remain ready and willing to work with the government and school boards to continue to improve hiring practices."

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.