Update on Ministry K-12 Education Restart Committees:
We hope that you are taking some time to enjoy your summer and spending time with family and friends inside your safe bubbles. 1/

As you may be aware,25 teachers are hard at work on4 Ministry working groups this summer to provide the voice of teachers in the planning process for Sept. The @bctf advocated for the inclusion of a broad range of reps from our members and we were pleased the Ministry agreed.2/

BCTF representation includes members who are primary, intermediate, and secondary teachers as well as specialist teachers from a broad range of our Provincial Specialists Associations. 3/

We also have representation from @bctf advisory committees: the Professional Issues Advisory Committee, the Health and Safety Advisory Committee, the Committee for Action on Social Justice, the Aboriginal Advisory committee, and the Adult Education Advisory Committee. 4/

Additionally, there is representation from the @bctf Executive Committee and staff on the Steering Committee. These representatives are busy working with government and the other education partners to identify the issues and seek solutions. 5/.

Health and safety, workload, mental health, equity, and the increased need for resources are key issues driven by @bctf members in these discussions. 6/

The work of the BCTF representatives is being guided by the plan we presented to the Ministry in June, and the @bctf submission to the Select Standing Committee on Government Finance. 7/

In addition, to support and inform the Ministry planning process our BCTF Research Department has put together some preliminary results from the BCTF survey that was conducted in June.
We want to thank the over 16,000 BCTF members who completed this survey. 8/

This data has also been made available to the teachers serving on the working groups to use in their advocacy.
The BCTF Research Department is currently working on a detailed report of all the survey data. 9/

They are analyzing the tens of thousands of comments and stories you have shared with us on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted teaching and learning. Our Research Department is preparing an in-depth report that will be available in a couple of weeks. 10/

In the meantime, we wanted to be sure you had the rapid results. We will also share the more detailed report when it is available. Check your email for the link to the preliminary results. 11/

In the preliminary analysis three clear themes emerged in the survey:
1. teachers are working hard, but they need more support:
• Teachers feel exhausted and see increased workloads but continue to support one another and maintain relationships with students and parents. 12/

• During June’s provincial “test run,” only half of BC’s teachers felt safe, leading over a third to feel unsure about returning in September. 13/

2. Health and safety of teachers &students must come first:
• An overwhelming majority of teachers indicated stringent health and safety measures are essential for a safe return to school.
• Teachers say PPE is key to make work safer for teachers & students. 14/

3. Equity and inclusion have to be the basis for public education going forward:
• The pandemic is exposing and magnifying existing inequities. 15/

• Sometimes there is an unquestioning adoption of technology, and 6 in 10 teachers say that the rapid shift to online and distance learning has forced them to change their pedagogy in problematic ways. 16/

• Over half of teachers say the loss of support staff and EAs due to distance learning has negatively impacted students’ ability to learn.
We are expecting government to make an announcement next week regarding which stage schools will begin the year. 17/

The @bctf will continue to advocate to ensure the professional voice of teachers is loud and clear as the work of these groups continues in the coming weeks. 18/

I want to again thank you for working so incredibly hard throughout this health emergency to support our students and each other.

Teri Mooring
President