Provincial Government Announces Appointments and Terms of Reference for Teacher Allocation Review Committee

  • Education

December 21, 2021

The Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Education, today announced the appointment of three members of the committee that will review and provide recommendations on the current Teacher Allocation Model.

The three appointed members of the Teacher Allocation Review Committee are:

  • Marian Fushell, chairperson;
  • David Brown; and
  • Ross Elliott.

Biographical information for all appointees is included in a backgrounder below. All three were appointed based on recommendations from the Independent Appointments Commission.

The Teacher Allocation Model provides the guidelines the Department of Education follows to determine the number of teaching units required to meet the needs of the province’s K-12 educational system. The model determines the number of administrators, classroom teachers, Instructional Resource Teachers, and other specialists required in a school.

Under the Terms of Reference for this review, this committee will be tasked with:

  • Reviewing the roles and responsibilities of various teaching resource roles within the provincial K-12 education system (e.g., instructional resource teachers, learning resource teachers, guidance counsellors, student assistants, etc.);
  • Reviewing how teaching resources are currently allocated and deployed in the K-12 system, and recommending appropriate allocations going forward;
  • Recommending appropriate class sizes for K-12 classes that considers small schools, multi-grades/combined grades, and French Immersion;
  • Recommending allocations of classroom teachers, specialist teachers and school administrators;
  • Recommending appropriate ways to meet unexpected or emerging needs each school year;
  • Undertaking consultations with key stakeholders, including parents, students, teachers and groups such as the provincial school districts and the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association, among others.

The full terms of reference are also included in a backgrounder below. The work of the committee will commence in January 2022, and the committee will submit a final report by May 31, 2022. The committee itself will communicate publicly regarding public consultations early in their mandate.

Quotes
“As committed earlier this year, we are moving forward with the Teacher Allocation Review. The three appointees to the Review Committee have significant experience within the provincial K-12 system, and the chairperson was involved in the Premier’s Task Force on Improving Educational Outcomes. All three understand the realities and needs of our current and future school system, and I look forward to their guidance and recommendations.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Education

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Media contact
Tina Coffey
Education
709-729-1906, 687-9903
tcoffey@gov.nl.ca

 

BACKGROUNDER

Biographies of Teacher Allocation Review Members

Dr. Marian Fushell

After 17 years as a math and science teacher and two years as a vice principal, Dr. Marian Fushell joined the Provincial Department of Education in 1993. From 2006 to 2011, as Assistant Deputy Minister for Primary, Elementary and Secondary Education, Dr. Fushell oversaw the implementation of the current teacher allocation model, and recognizes the need for a review and change as a result of changes in the system over the past 14 years.

From 2016 to 2017, Dr. Fushell was a member of the Premier’s Task Force on Improving Educational Outcomes, which resulted in the implementation of the Education Action Plan. She holds a PhD in Evaluation and Research from the University of Toronto.

David Brown

David Brown spent 30 years as an educator in the provincial school system, teaching music and other subjects at the elementary, junior high and high school levels. During this time Mr. Brown was an active representative of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association, including sitting on NLTA provincial committees and NLTA district executives.

Upon his retirement from teaching in 2009, Mr. Brown worked with the Provincial Government to design and deliver training and development opportunities for the public service. From 2016 to 2021, he was the Private Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor, an executive position within the Provincial Government.

Mr. Brown holds Bachelors degrees in Music and Education from Mount Allison University, as well as a Master’s degree in Education with a focus on Information Communications Technology and Learning from the University of Aberdeen.

Dr. Ross Elliott

Dr. Ross Elliott has significant experience at the program and administrative levels of schools and school districts, having worked as a Teacher, School Administrator, Program Specialist, Assistant Director, and Director/CEO of Education for Western School District (2001 – 2013).

Dr. Elliott has worked in Labrador, Northern Peninsula, Central Newfoundland, Burin Peninsula, Avalon Peninsula, and the West Coast of the Province. Since 2015, he has been a course instructor with the Faculty of Education, Memorial University. He holds a Master’s in Education (Curriculum) from Memorial University, and a Ph.D. in Theory and Policy Studies in Education (Educational Leadership and Administration) from OISE/University of Toronto.

Terms of Reference – Teacher Allocation Review

  • Review the roles and responsibilities of the following resources, prior to determining the appropriate allocation of teaching resources:
    • Guidance Counsellors;
    • Educational Psychologists;
    • Speech Language Pathologists;
    • Itinerant Teachers for Deaf/Hard of Hearing;
    • Itinerant Teachers for Blind/Visually Impaired;
    • Instructional Resource Teachers;
    • Learning Resource Teachers;
    • Positive Action for Student Success (PASS) Teachers;
    • Student Support Services Itinerants (including those for safe and caring schools);
    • Program Specialists;
    • English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers;
    • Teaching and Learning Assistants;
    • Reading Specialists; and
    • Student Assistants.
  • Review how the resources listed above are allocated, and subsequently deployed, to the K-12 system.
    • Note: Allocation happens at the Department of Education (i.e., government provides school districts with the total allocation of resources for each area) whereas deployment occurs at the district level (i.e., the districts deploy the resources to individual schools). Those resources listed above are in addition to the allocation of classroom teachers, specialist teachers and administration (i.e., principal/vice-principal). Classroom and specialist teachers have the direct responsibility of delivering the curriculum to students, whereas those resources listed above provide various supports to students to complement classroom teaching and ensure all students receive the appropriate services to meet their needs.
  • Recommend appropriate allocations of the above-noted resources.
  • Recommend appropriate class sizes for K-12 classes that considers small schools, multi-grades/combined grades, and French Immersion.
  • Recommend allocations of:
    • Classroom teachers;
    • Specialist teachers; and
    • School administrators (i.e., principal and vice-principal).
  • Consider innovative approaches to delivery of education services, including a review of the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation, as well as the Good at Learning, Good at Life virtual school used by the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District (NLESD) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Recommend appropriate ways to meet unexpected or emerging needs each school year.
  • As part of the process of determining appropriate allocations, undertake a review of the following:
    • Allocation models and reports from other Canadian provinces;
    • Relevant education reports from the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (1967 -present);
    • Scholarly research;
    • Current provincial initiatives; and
    • Relevant legislation, regulations, and policy frameworks.
  • Consult with key stakeholders including:
    • Parents;
    • Students;
    • Teachers, including teaching and learning assistants (and all identified groups listed above);
    • School administrators;
    • Student assistants;
    • Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association;
    • Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees;
    • Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils;
    • Newfoundland and Labrador English School District (NLESD);
    • Conseil Scolaire Francophone Provincial de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador (CSFP);
    • NLESD and CSFP trustees;
    • Representatives of Indigenous groups; and
    • Other stakeholder groups including, but not limited to; Newfoundland and Labrador Association for the Deaf, Canadian Hard of Hearing Association – NL, Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Learning Disabilities Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, Association for New Canadians.
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