P.E.I. Teachers Federation says ELSB transition creating 'stress'

The president of the P.E.I. Teachers Federation said members are concerned with the lack of information about the transition of the English Language School Board into the Department of Education.

Bethany MacLeod said teachers who work at the board and department level are feeling a lot of stress because no one knows where they will be working.

"It is a huge concern right now just because so many department especially and board based staff are, you know they are very stressed and there is a lot of anxiety because nobody is sure what's going on," she said.

MacLeod says the federation has been meeting with government officials and the transitions committee to stress the concerns and the need for people to know what will happen and when.

"We would just like some answers. We have members coming to us who are very concerned and a lot of stress is being caused in their lives right now," she said.

"Nobody is sure what's going on, whether they will be working in Charlottetown or Summerside or in a school or out of a school."

'Adjust the structure'

In November, the =ELSB superintendent Cynthia Fleet said there was a need to "adjust the structure" of the education system and agreed the school board operations should be taken over by the Department of Education.

She said she would continue in her role for six to nine months and didn't know what would happen to her personally after the department took over in September 2016.

Fleet is currently on an approved leave of absence.

MacLeod said some principals are also worried there could be a repeat of last year, when staffing numbers weren't known until very late in the year.

"For principals to get their staffing numbers, we need to know what's going on with the board," she said.

MacLeod said the government has told them it won't let that happen again and they are meeting often to try and tackle the issue.

She said she hopes that's true and that answers will be known soon.

"It's just creating a lot of anxiety right now just because nobody really knows what's going on," she said.