YOUR FEDER ATION - ANNUAL MEE TING 2025
KAREN BROWN OPENED THE ETFO ANNUAL MEETING
O
utgoing president Karen Brown began her opening address by acknowledging that this year ETFO celebrates 15 years
since designated early childhood educators joined the union. “To all the designated early childhood educators in the room, I want to say thank you. I look forward to continu- ing to build the public education system our youngest learners deserve together.” President Brown reflected on beginning
the last year with a listening tour. “We held open member meetings in school boards across the province,” explained the presi- dent. “We wanted to hear from members about the issues they face in schools and to strategize together on how we can best fight for the improvements our members and students deserve.” She highlighted ETFO’s organizing during the provincial and fed- eral elections, as well as the campaigns that ran across the province.
36 ETFO VOICE | FALL 2025 Brown criticized the provincial govern-
ment for refusing to invest in the resources and supports public schools need. Calling out the recruitment and retention crisis, she talked about the deeply-rooted systemic is- sues in Ontario public schools. President Brown introduced ETFO’s
smaller classes, BIG DIFFERENCE cam- paign, noting that class size will be a major focus of the upcoming round of bargaining. “For years, educators have been clear: small- er class sizes are essential to student learning and educator well-being,” she said. “Over- crowded classrooms limit what’s possible, stretch educators too thin, reduce opportu- nities for individualized support, and make it harder to create the kind of calm, safe and inclusive spaces students deserve.” “As we prepare for the 2026 round of bar-
gaining, ETFO is laying the groundwork for bold, focused action,” concluded Brown.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
