The Government of Prince Edward Island today announced details of a Workforce Renewal Plan for Island teachers which will rejuvenate the province's education system. The Department of Education developed the plan, in consultation with the PEI Teachers' Federation, Eastern School District, Western School Board and La Commission Scolaire de Langue Française. The Workforce Renewal Plan could see approximately 130 teachers retire in June and be replaced by new teachers.
"The Workforce Renewal Plan provides incentives for teachers who are within two years of eligibility to retire from the profession and allow a significant number of new teachers to take their positions," said Minister of Education, Chester Gillan. "This plan provides new opportunities for Island teachers to secure employment in their chosen profession at home, in Prince Edward Island."
The Workforce Renewal Plan will benefit all Island teachers because the plan consists of additional resources for leadership training, the Employee Assistance Program for teachers and changes to the Teachers' Superannuation Act. Teachers currently in the school system will have opportunities to access new leadership training programs for school administrator positions. The existing Employee Assistance Program for teachers will be enhanced with additional resources. This will alleviate the current pressures on the program and allow teachers easier access to employee assistance services.
Minister Gillan also noted he intends to introduce amendments to the Teachers' Superannuation Act in the Legislature which will reinstate provisions to integrate Canada Pension Plan benefits at age 65. Under the current legislation, teachers who receive their Teachers' Pension at age 60 years are penalized, with respect to their Canada Pension Plan benefits. Under the proposed new legislation, this penalty will be removed.
The Minister explained there are several key factors which led to the development of the Workforce Renewal Plan. In recent years, few full-time teaching opportunities in PEI have forced many Island graduates with teaching degrees to seek employment in other jurisdictions or other professions. In addition, recent teacher shortages in other areas of the country, particularly Ontario and Nova Scotia, have resulted in the heavy recruitment of Island education graduates.
"Creating employment opportunities for new Island teachers is a top priority," said Premier Binns. "The Workforce Renewal Plan will help to ensure PEI is not faced with a teacher shortage problem in a few years."
Currently, PEI teachers are eligible to retire at age 55 years, with 30 years of service and receive a teacher's pension. The new Workforce Renewal Plan provides:
• Teachers aged 53 and 54, with the equivalent pension they would be entitled to if they were retiring on August 31, 1999 at age 55 years.
• Teachers who are aged 58 and 59 years and who have more than 10 years of continuous service or 20 years of total service, but fewer than 30 years of service, with an equivalent pension they would be entitled to if they were retiring on August 31, 1999 at age 60 years.
• Teachers who are aged 55 years or older, who are eligible and continue to work, can receive a half-year salary retirement incentive.
Under the terms of the new Workforce Renewal Plan, PEI teachers who choose to retire must notify their school board, in writing, no later than 5 p.m., April 15, 1999. Teachers who accept a provision under the new Workforce Renewal Plan will not be eligible to serve as a substitute teacher or be employed in the public sector until September 2001.
Minister Gillan said there are many benefits of the Workforce Renewal Plan. The plan creates new opportunities for young educators, many of them trained in PEI through the provincially-funded university, to work in PEI; the plan creates opportunities to reduce overall salary costs, while planning for the renewal of the education system for the beginning of the next millennium, and the plan exposes Island children to newly trained teachers who are familiar with the latest teaching methods and strategies.