Charlottetown, PE, June 17, 2010 – On Wednesday, June 16, the teachers of Prince Edward Island voted to ratify the tentative agreement for a new Memorandum of Agreement between the Education Negotiating Agency and the Prince Edward Island Teachers’ Federation. "I am pleased to announce that a majority of teachers have voted to accept a new Collective Agreement," states Ms. St. Jean.

After informing the membership, Carrie St. Jean, President of the PEI Teachers’ Federation, announced the results of the vote to media outlets at 1:00 p.m. today.

St. Jean further commented "This agreement, reached at the bargaining table, shows that the teachers of this province and government can both be reasonable during challenging economic times. I wish to thank all participants for their work in obtaining an agreement.

We are pleased that this was accomplished while maintaining the positive relationship that exists between the educational partners and the teachers of the province."

Highlights of the agreement include:

• Three year agreement: July 1, 2010 to September 30, 2013;
• Salary increases of 1% in the first year, 2% in the second year and 3% in the third year of the contract; and,
• $200,000 per year to address issues of class composition.

Federation President, Carrie St. Jean, indicates that the Board of Governors, the policy-making body of the Federation, will be discussing and debating a variety of internal and external matters. Various existing policies will be reaffirmed or rescinded. Action resolutions will be reviewed and will determine the priorities of the Federation for the upcoming year.

Federation President, Carrie St. Jean, will address the delegates on Friday evening. President St. Jean is completing her first year term as the spokesperson for teachers on Prince Edward Island. President St. Jean will highlight her work with the Teachers’ Federation as she has been called upon to comment on a wide array of educational issues.

Ms. St. Jean commented: "This has been an exciting year for education in Prince Edward Island. The spotlight has been on our ‘Take an MLA to School Day’, contract negotiations and the introduction of kindergarten into the public school system. Great things are happening for students and teachers in this province."

General Secretary, Shaun MacCormac will also provide his report to the Annual General Meeting as General Secretary reporting on Federation activities in the past year.

At the meeting, members of the Board of Governors will vote for the position of President-Elect of the Federation for the 2010/11 school year. This person will become the next Federation President in July, 2011.

The two current Vice-Presidents, Gilles Arsenault, a principal at École Évangéline and Laura Brake, a teacher at Miscouche Consolidated School have both indicated their intention to run for the position of President-Elect. They will address delegates on Saturday morning.

At this time, Blaine Bernard, a Mathematics Specialist at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and Steven Shoemaker, a teacher at Colonel Gray Senior High School have indicated their intention to run for the two positions of Vice-President. Both are currently members of the Federation Executive. They too, will address delegates on Saturday morning.

Elections for the five Member-at-Large positions were held in early May at the meetings of the local Area Associations. They are Isabelle Savoie-Jamieson, a teacher at École François-Buote; Peter Love, a teacher at West Royalty School; Mary Bradley, a teacher at Eliot River School; Charmaine Melanson-Gavin, a teacher at Westisle Composite High School; and Karen Smith, a teacher at Greenfield Elementary School.

Board members will be joined at the President’s Dinner on June 12 by a number of former Federation Presidents and other invited guests.

The meeting concludes Saturday afternoon.

The Prince Edward Island Teachers’ Federation (PEITF) has reached an agreement with its members to accept Early Childhood Educators (ECE’s) as members of the Teachers’ Federation. In a ratification ballot teachers voted overwhelmingly to accept the new members.

From the PEITF office in Stratford, President Carrie St. Jean stated, "We welcome Early Childhood Educators to our Federation. These educators bring a wealth of knowledge about early childhood development and learning. Our public school system will be enhanced with the introduction of full day kindergarten. What happens in kindergarten sets the stage for all future learning. We know that strong starts lead to strong finishes."

St. Jean continued, "We commend the Ghiz government for its commitment to young children. Providing the funding for full day kindergarten is a courageous step in today’s economic environment. It is also an investment that will pay a lifetime of dividends, not only for children, but also for their communities and the economy."

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