Variety of decisions face AGM 2008

Delegates to the 89th Annual General Meeting of The Manitoba Teachers’ Society will be deciding on issues ranging from governance of the Disability Benefits Plan to moving the Special Area Group conference day back to October.

Representatives will also debate the proposed 2008-2009 budget which recommends a fee increase of 3.2 per cent, following a trend of keeping fee increases to at or near the percentage increase of teacher’s salaries.

And elections will be held to fill six open positions on the provincial executive. Eight candidates have been nominated so far. As well, elections will be held, if necessary, for positions on the two boards that govern the Disability Benefits Plan.

Delegates will vote on a resolution that would eliminate voting for the teachers who sit on the governance board and case management committee of the Disability Benefits Plan.

A resolution from the provincial executive and Pembina Trails Teachers’ Association calls on those positions to be appointed by the provincial executive. The proposal arises from a review of the roles and responsibilities of the groups controlling the plan.

Another resolution that, based on past meetings, could be well-debated is the suggestion to move the SAG co-ordinated conferences day back to October from November. Differences over the day have been the subject of debate at several AGM’s over the past seven years.

The Special Area Group Council recommends that the conferences be held on the third Friday of October, effective in 2009. That would only change if it fell on Thanksgiving, in which case SAG would be on the fourth Friday.

The council says the shift to November has created a number of problems.

It says there has been a “marked decrease” in SAG memberships and in teachers attending SAG sessions, including teachers from the north for whom the day was shifted to November.

As well, it says school divisions are opting out of SAG and leaving schools open and booking guest speakers has been difficult because of the conflict with Thanksgiving in the United States.

The EFM has also called on delegates to change the date saying there has also been a decline in francophone teachers attending the fall conferences.

“EFM is in direct competition with bigger Francophone teacher organizations to book speakers when SAG is in November and there has been a decrease in numbers of Northern members attending.,” it says.

In other business, AGM delegates will deal with resolutions such as calls for changes to the process of electing the president and vice-president of MTS and that the government to set that the length of the school day should be five and one-half hours.

As well, the provincial executive would like to see a provincial policy that teachers not be given outside school duties when the temperature reaches minus-30 or minus-35 with the wind chill.

It says schools should close when the wind chill reaches minus-45.

For more details on AGM resolutions, the proposed budget and candidates for provincial office, see pages 4-5.