Outcry over Shellbrook teacher transfers

Mar 28, 2019 | 4:01 PM

Shellbrook parents and other members of the community are up in arms over the transfer of four local teachers. Two of the educators are being moved from the elementary to the high school, but the transfer of two others to other communities is causing significant concern.

Shellbrook town councillor and retired educator Bruce Clements, is speaking on behalf of around a hundred people who showed up to a public meeting earlier this week. They are angered at the way the school division told the affected teachers about their transfers and claim the administration did not follow its own policies.

“They were treated unprofessionally, they were blindsided and they were thrown under the bus,” Clements told paNOW. He said the teachers were called into their respective principals’ offices to be told the news and then “were humiliated in front of their peers” when that news was shared with colleagues.

In terms of their collective agreement, teachers can be transferred elsewhere if they have been working at a location for five years. The school division policy states “discussions will be held with the teacher and school administrator prior to the transfer being implemented.”

Clements said this did not happen with the four teachers, none of whom want to move. He said the teachers had been brought up in the Shellbrook area and had returned as professionals to give back to the community, and one of them was an award-winning educator who had made a big difference at the high school.

On a further note, he said town council and the local business community were not happy about the loss of educators, and it was crucial for rural communities like Shellbrook to keep their teachers if they were to remain vibrant and to attract and retain families.

“We’re counting on the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division to maintain a successful and strong school program with dedicated teachers committed to our community,“ he said. “Teachers who are committed to and live in our community shouldn’t be transferred out.”

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paNOW reached out to the school division for comment. In an email response, Director of Education Robert Bratvold said in part, “we cannot comment or discuss any personnel matters with anyone except that employee.”

The email outlined the division’s Administrative Procedure, which is a public document, which shows the criteria to be considered when making a teacher transfer. These include, among others: training and experience of a teacher, current residency and commuting distance, personal circumstances, and program preference.

The president of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, Pat Maze said matters were at the very early stages and he hoped the division could get together with the teachers and discuss things to “get to the right place.”

“Student needs also need to be taken into consideration, and certainly there should be discussion with the teachers,” he told paNOW. “As well as following their own administrative procedures they also need to consider what is in the best interest of communities.”

In the meantime, Clements said another public meeting was scheduled for this evening at the Shellbrook Recreation Centre to update the community. He said a committee was being set up to formally approach the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division about the matter.

A letter calling for the board to revisit their policy had already been delivered.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow

by Glenn Hicks

Outcry over Shellbrook teacher transfers

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