Families throughout the province have been impacted by a school year that’s involved a heated labour dispute between the province and teachers, but some parents say the divide has given them an opportunity to teach their children about politics.
READ MORE: Nova Scotia teachers end work-to-rule as union, government reach tentative deal
“This whole situation has given us a great opportunity to discuss with them how the province is managing our education system and how they prioritize spending decisions,” Dustin Linden Smith said.
Linden Smith has seen the inner workings of classrooms up close and personal.
The father of three regularly volunteers in his children’s schools and was the chair of the École Shannon Park School Advisory Council for two years.
He said he’s witnessed first-hand some of the challenges teachers are faced with in classrooms.
“It became very obvious to me that teachers had a lot of extra duties added to their workload that in my opinion were purely administrative and bureaucratic tasks that didn’t really have anything to do with the hands-on education of the kids,” he said.
While he supports teachers, he said he knows not everyone shares his view.
READ MORE: Nova Scotia businesses feel impact of teachers’ work-to-rule
“Half of my neighbours on our street are in support of teachers and the other half are in support of government,” he said.
Government, teachers reach deal
The province and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NTSU) announced they came to a tentative agreement on Jan. 20, which also suspended the work-to-rule job action that has been in place since December.
As a result of the deal, the union has entered a transition period where the NSTU executive will travel to all the provincial school boards and present the tentative agreement ahead of a ratification vote on Feb. 8.
If the membership votes down the offer, the union still has a right to strike after teachers voted in favour of a strike mandate in October.
But it’s a situation some parents, like Deborah McNamara, hope doesn’t pressure the teachers into not standing for improved education.
“I really hope that they stick to their guns if the offer isn’t going to create real change. I hate to say that [because] I’d love to see the dispute over and done with, but I hope it’s over and done with in the right way,” she said.
NSTU president Liette Doucet said the wave of parent support throughout the dispute has been a big help to teachers.
READ MORE: NS students produce video to shed light on work-to-rule impact
“When you have parents that really understand that we were really standing up for better education for their children, it definitely buoyed the spirits of teachers,” Doucet said.
Education Minister Karen Casey said in an emailed statement the province is hopeful for a favourable result.
“I remain hopeful that the union’s members will vote to ratify the agreement,” she said.
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