Tere’s irony in that a couple of the usual susopects have recently been quoted as claiming any further reductions in spending would be a “bloodletting” and that there’s “nothing left to cut”. 

I believe I heard it reported on one of the talkshows that principals will no longer be in the loop in terms of finding out how much jobs undertaken at their schools are billed for…  If that is the case it seems an example of killing the messenger rather than fixing the problem.

One hopes this story won’t be allowed to die anytime soon.  This is a case of money being blatantly lifted from the classroom to an outrageous level.  A few thou here and a few thou there and soon we’re talking real money.

What we need is whistleblower protection for teachers, principals(like the one who shed light in this case), parents and students when it comes to the public education system?

What the Star should do is follow the paper trail back, oh, I’d say about a dozen years to remind themselves of how far back this practice goes, who was on the board and why it was allowed to go unchecked for so long?

On Newstalk1010 I heard that the TDSB allegedly employs 900 tradespeople alone (electricians, carpenters etc.).

Oh there is more—union links to campaign donations is in the Star today.

The latest update - “All outside building contractors hired by the Toronto District School board have to pay Jimmy Hazel?s trades council a cut of their wages, documents reveal.

Those contractors have paid a total of $2 million over the past 10 years to the Maintenance and Construction Skilled Trades Council, according to a TDSB official.”
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1216604#article

Even after my research, I never dreamt that the above was on the agenda, especially what is revealed in the below links of my little search, that the origins of what the Star has investigated, comes from the very top levels of governments. I have yet to find anything before 2005, but if the Star is correct, that it starts in 1998 -  “The deal that causes outside companies to pay Hazel?s trades council traces back to 1998, according to school board insiders. It was a concession given by the TDSB so that the trades council would not grieve work given to outside contractors, even though many of these contracting companies are still required to use workers from unions affiliated with Hazel?s trades council.

The .5 per cent is charged on both labour and material.

TDSB spokesperson Shari Schwartz-Maltz said the dues are considered a ?temporary union membership? even though many of the workers at outside companies already pay dues to their own unions.”

What does that say about the politicians, the bureaucrats and the unions who are willing to employed protection ruses, like the local goon, offering protection to businesses, in exchange for a sum of money?  Not much, considering the Ontario government and the unions, have actually gotten together and put it in black and white under the pretense of a “Provincial Table Discussion Agreements (PDT), complete with signatures, to where the individual school boards must abide by the PDT agreement.

The 2008 PDT agreement -
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/nr/08.07/OtherEducation_SupportWorkers.pdf

The Toronto School Board, 2008 press release -

“Toronto, ON, November 28, 2008 ? The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has ratified new four year collective agreements with the following:
Maintenance and Construction Skilled Trades Council
Ontario Secondary School Teachers? Federation-Professional Student Services Personnel (OSSTF-PSSP)
?I am very pleased we have reached a very fair settlement with our Maintenance and Construction Skilled Trades Council as well as our professional services staff, given this period of economic uncertainty? said John Campbell, Chair of the TDSB. ?With these four year agreements, the TDSB moves another step closer to a period of labour stability and improved student success and it also reflects our commitment to continuing positive relationships with our employees.?

In the agreement with the Maintenance and Construction Skilled Trades Council, in addition to providing increases in salary and benefits in each of the next four years it also provides for an increase in the number of coop students placements in the TDSB, an increase in apprenticeship opportunities, and joint promotion of skilled trades as a career choice.”
http://www.tdsb.on.ca/about_us/media_room/Room.asp?show=TDSBnews&view=detailed&enableNav=true&self=15710

What makes me very angry, since the 1990s - how the home economics, the wood shops, mechanic shops, and other technical classrooms have disappeared along with fine arts and music rooms complete with bands and their marching bands, to be replaced with back room deals of questionable and shady exchanges of co-op placements and promotion of the trades. The reality of students speaks volume, especially the students who are still seeking an apprenticeship, but they can’t find it, because they need to become an union member first, before an employer would look at them. That is, because most apprenticeships are under the union banner, and employers without a union, are left out in the cold.

I am quite sure, the $3000 electrical plug plate, could have been given to a local electrician without union ties, for well under $500 if they used their own materials, and than on the way out the door, install the pencil sharpener for free, and probably teach the adults and whoever was near, how to do it for themselves. For that matter, a parent with the necessary skills, would have done it for free, but once again, parents have been written off the equation as a way to save a few bucks, and in turn creating new revenue sources for the unions and employers who have union shops.