With word that British Columbia’s teachers have reached a deal with the province to end their months-long strike, students could return to the classroom within days.
Mediator Vince Ready announced the deal around 4 a.m. local time Tuesday, saying that the two sides would meet again later in the day to finalize some outstanding details. No terms have been made public.
Teachers are expected to vote on the deal Thursday, meaning it could be late that day before it’s clear whether teachers have accepted the agreement and agree to return to work. If so, school administrators will have a lot of work ahead of them to prepare for the school year.
A timeline for classes to resume rests on a number of factors, according to Mike Lombardi, vice chair of the Vancouver Board of Education.
The new deal may include an actual date for when teachers will return to work, Lombardi told CTV News Channel Tuesday in an interview from B.C.
In the meantime, school administrators will have to revisit their registration records and overhaul class schedules, work that is usually completed in June, he said.
Students who had planned to take summer school classes may have their schedules re-arranged, Lombardi said. As students are moved around, other changes might have to be made if class sizes get too big or teachers need to be reassigned.
Whatever work is required to prepare schools, Lombardi said, staff “will do whatever we can do to expedite things.”
In a tweet, B.C. Teachers’ Federation spokesperson Nancy Knickerbocker also said schools will have to be cleaned before classes can resume. Teachers will also have to set up their classrooms, work that is usually done before the Labour Day weekend.
The province’s Ministry of Education has been updating parents and students on the strike and the progress of contract negotiations on a special website. The site will be updated with further details on the agreement, the vote and the start of classes.
