OSSTF/FEESO Responds to Auditor General's Report

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - May 18, 2016) -  Paul Elliott, President of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO), issued the following statement today in response to a report released by the Auditor General:

OSSTF/FEESO has been delivering effective and efficient professional development (PD) to our members for many years, and since 2006 the Ontario government has contributed just over $6 million to support the professional growth of the teachers and education workers we represent. Over that period we have delivered more than a thousand workshops, organized six provincial conferences and hosted dozens of regional symposia, all delivering professional development opportunities of the highest possible quality.

This should come as no surprise, because the design and delivery of effective PD is one of our core activities as a Federation, and it's a responsibility that we take very seriously. Our professional development workshops and presentations are delivered all over Ontario, often at the request of school boards, by highly-trained and experienced professionals with broad insights into mental health issues, bullying, equity issues and a whole range of other topics. The most recent funding we have received, for example, supports the teaching and learning of mathematics in schools across the province.

Our members face the unique challenge of laying the foundations for student success in an increasingly complex and challenging world, and the professional development we provide gives them the most current tools and most effective resources available to meet the diverse needs of Ontario's students.

Every dollar we receive to assist with professional development is used for exactly that -- to ensure that educators in Ontario never stop learning to be better at what they do.

OSSTF/FEESO is extremely proud of the work we have been able to do with the financial support of the Ministry of Education. Together we will continue to deliver quality professional growth opportunities for teachers and educational workers, knowing always that the real beneficiaries of this work are the students of Ontario.

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.