Teachers' Union, treasury reach agreement on education reforms - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Tue., August 14, 2007 Av 30, 5767

Israel Time: 23:26 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Print Edition

Diplomacy

Defense

Real Estate

Arts & Leisure

Jewish World

National

Sports

Advertising

Magazine

Week's End

Opinion

Business

Rosner's Domain

Anglo File

Travel

Q&A

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

Last update - 10:48 13/08/2007

Teachers' Union, treasury reach agreement on education reforms

By Or Kashti, Haaretz Correspondent

The Teachers' Union signed an agreement with the Finance and Education Ministries late Sunday over proposed elementary education reforms.

The reforms include a longer work week for teachers, a requirement to work with smaller groups of students during some of those hours, and a 25 percent hike in the teachers' salaries.

These reforms will be implemented at some 300 schools during the next school year, and at some 700 additional institutions during the following year.

	Advertisement

Finance Ministry officials reported that time cards would also be mandatory alongside the reforms.

In contrast to the agreement with the Teachers' Union, the Secondary School Teachers' Association announced Sunday it would delay the opening of the next school year, due to the failure of wage negotiations with the Finance Ministry over recent months.

During the previous school year, the teachers' association conducted rolling strikes in various parts of the country, and instructed teachers not to assist in any extra-curricular activities. The strikes affected grades 7 to 12.

The organization has sat down for talks with the treasury over recent weeks, but with no results. Secondary School Teachers' Association chairman Ran Erez said Sunday "we tried to conduct serious negotiations several times over the summer, but the treasury and Finance Ministry used the situation to drag their feet."

"We are faced with an ultimatum, and we will either accept the treasury's offer and promise not to strike, or accept nothing. In a situation like this, it is preferable to strike. What have we been fighting for all these months?" Erez said during the organization's meeting Sunday.

The gap between the views of the teachers' association and the treasury revolves around the unique wage hike the teachers are demanding due to the erosion of their salaries, as well as a string of professional issues.

"The treasury is willing to give a NIS 45 hourly wage to a teacher working with children with special needs ? a sum 50 percent lower than what we demand," said Erez. "They claim that the work isn't hard, and that is why they are unwilling to compensate the teachers. If teaching special education is such a simple task, let the secretaries and librarians do it," he said.

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	Buyer beware!
	The warrant for the arrest of Boaz Yona was issued a week after the bird had flown.


	Political interaction
	Internet sites like YouTube allow surfers to interact with policymakers and propose bills.




1.	let the librarians and secretaries do it	11:48	\|	ka	13/08/07

2.	I agree with Ka, and there`s more...	13:24	\|	Evan	13/08/07

3.	In support of Librarians	15:21	\|	Librarian	13/08/07

4.	KA	22:38	\|	Barbara	14/08/07

Today Online


	PM to IDF: Avoid steps that Syria could misunderstand
	Responses: 216


	Six Palestinians killed in IDF raid in southern Gaza Strip
	Responses: 178


	French Jewish woman beaten by men yelling anti-Semitic insults
	Responses: 178


	Arens: Israel, U.S. 'creating' Palestinian peace partner
	Responses: 88


	Ultra-Orthodox Jews deliver a population boom to the W. Bank
	Responses: 72

Rosner's Domain

* Rosner's Guest: Don't call me a J.A.P

* WTR: The arrogance of Carl Rove

* Blog and Poll: Is the US leaving Iraq? Not so fast...

* The Orthodox Union should raise its voice against Orthodox disobedience

More Headlines
23:25 Nasrallah promises 'great surprises' should Israel attack Lebanon


23:23 Polls close in Likud primaries after only 39 percent cast their ballot


23:26 Six Palestinians killed in IDF raid in southern Gaza Strip


21:17 PM, Barak urge IDF to avoid steps that could misunderstood by Syria


22:11 Israel to open classrooms for Sudanese refugee children


22:13 Two Hamas security men die in clash with powerful Gaza clan


21:18 Livni calls int'l attempts to mend Hamas-Fatah rift 'huge mistake'


21:07 Ramat Hovav plant shuts down production facility in wake of chemical explosion


19:57 Acre, Carmiel and Tiberias petition court for frontline benefts


20:18 Ultra-Orthodox Jews deliver a population boom to the West Bank