The Teachers’ Union of Nova Scotia (NSTU) has elected Ryan Lutz as president after winning 51 percent of the vote in a second vote Thursday.
More than 9,500 NSTU members voted electronically during the first round of voting last Wednesday, but no winner was announced.
To win, the candidate must receive a simple majority of votes, 50 percent plus one.
In Thursday’s runoff, Lutz secured his position, defeating Peter Day.
“The shock is still coming, but I’m ready to start working for teachers,” Lutz told CBC Radio on Friday morning.
Lutes, a math teacher at Halifax West High School, served as local president of Halifax City NSTU from 2015 to 2021. He was recently elected to represent Halifax City as NSTU’s provincial executive director.
“When teachers are supported, when teachers are supported by the system, they will take care of the children, and I have always believed that,” he said. “So that was my mantra all my way through my different roles.”
The collective agreement expires next year
The NSTU collective agreement expires in about a year. Lutz said he wanted to start drafting a new agreement while strengthening the union and talking to parents and teachers about what is important to them.
He said he had already met with some teachers in the province who said that the challenges of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic had only led to work pressures, along with staff shortages.
“They just aren’t supported in the best way and it’s hard for them to deal with it and they’re really trying to support their students because that’s their goal,” he said.
“Many teachers go home thinking they could do more, but they did their best and did what they could, so I think we really need to look at education as an investment and think about investing in teachers. because if we invest in teachers, they will take care of the children. “
Information Morning – NS8: 21 Meet the new president of the Nova Scotia Teachers’ Union
Ryan Lutz is the newly elected president of the Nova Scotia Teachers’ Union after receiving 51% of the vote from NSTU members. Porsche asks what he thinks of his small victory, what challenges he expects and what relations he expects with the Houston government.
Lutz said the union was ready to co-operate with Prime Minister Tim Houston’s government, hoping to reach a fair agreement that “moves teachers forward and the system forward”.
“Teachers need more time to plan their students, to plan engaging lessons. My teachers tell me that, especially after COVID, children come to classes with needs they may not have had before, ”he said.
“So we have to recognize that things can be different and that we have to do things a little bit differently and invest so that we can get these kids to where they need to be and work forward so that we can to achieve these positive impacts. “
In a statement, the NSTU said 59 percent of union members voted yesterday.
Lutz will take office on August 1, replacing Paul Wozni, who has been president since 2018. Wozni could not run again as he served two terms.
Add Comment