Latest news with #Hamilton-WentworthCatholicDistrictSchoolBoard
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Hamilton Spectator
Catholic school board launches new construction co-op program
Hamilton's Catholic school board is launching a new carpentry co-op program amid soaring demand for skilled trades across the province. Students in Grade 11 and up can join the board's new enhanced construction program, offering an opportunity to explore careers in building and repairing homes and other infrastructure. 'It is specifically designed to provide participants with industry-recognized training, practical experience and direct pathways into careers in the skilled trades,' the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board said in a May 29 post . Students will take classes at the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) Local 18 Training Centre on Stoney Church Road East. They will be assigned a co-op placement in either general carpentry or drywall, acoustical and lathing systems. Successful students will receive four high school credits — math, English and two construction technology — and placements could be paid. Students will also receive seven construction certifications, about $900 of personal protective equipment and tools, and apprenticeship hours toward a trade, setting them up for the next steps in a construction career. The board says ideal candidates are reliable, punctual, hardworking and 'committed to learning.' The new program, which will accept 20 students per semester, is a collaboration between UBC Local 18 and the Catholic board, and is funded in part by the provincial and federal governments. A student information session will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday at the Stone Church Road training centre. Co-op teachers and industry leaders say there's a growing interest among young people in the trades. There are also plans afoot to double an Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) construction craft worker program at LIUNA Local 837's Grimsby training centre. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
A couch was set on fire in the middle of this school sports field. How much is vandalism costing the Catholic board each year?
In the early-morning hours of April 19, a sofa was placed on the Knights logo on the artificial turf field at St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School on the Mountain and lit on fire. Repairs cost $56,121 — more than anticipated, said Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board senior facilities manager Paul Ferrie at a June 3 committee of the whole meeting. 'They dragged the sofa out to the centre field and torched it,' he told the committee. 'It took flame very quickly.' Fields are generally easy to access, which has posed a challenge, he said. Hamilton police investigated, but haven't made an arrest in this act of 'wilful evil,' Ferrie said. Police confirmed on Thursday no suspects were identified and no charges laid. St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School near Stone Church Road and Garth Street on the Hamilton Mountain. Police are generally only contacted for significant vandalism incidents, spokesperson Const. Adam Kimber said in an email. This incident of vandalism at St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School is one of two high-cost vandalism incidents at the board in the last six months. The board is required to report all incidents of vandalism over $2,500. 'wilful evil Damage to an automatic door at Cathedral High School around April 24 cost $3,193 in repairs. Last July, copper thefts from three rooftop HVAC units at Canadian Martyrs Catholic Elementary School cost $70,876 in repairs. Police investigated, and cameras were installed to identify suspects in any future incidents, the board said in a Dec. 3, 2024, report . It was a 'disappointing' year, Ferrie told the committee. 'Extreme' incidents in the tens of thousands are few, but costs associated with vandalism overall are 'significant' across the province, said chair Pat Daly, who is also the former president of the provincial Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA). For the burning couch, the board is responsible for a $10,000 deductible, and insurance would cover the rest. Emergency work was performed to make the field usable, and permanent repairs will take place over the summer, according to a June 3 report. A couch set fire in the middle of St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School's artificial turf football field cost more than $56,000 in damage. Automatic door repairs were also funded entirely by the facilities management budget. Smashed windows, damage to exterior doors, graffiti and broken toilets and sinks in out-of-sight bathrooms are common across the board's approximately 70 buildings, he said. At least a decade ago, about 20 large exterior windows at a Catholic school were broken in one night, Daly said. Ferrie said there was a 'rash of trespassing' during the pandemic, but Daly said there's no indication vandalism has increased significantly since schools reopened. In addition to the cost, which he estimates is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, vandalism affects students, for whom schools are their 'homes' during the day, Daly said. 'It's a real concern,' he said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton high school students dance the day away
Lyrical, modern and Afro-fusion are just a few of the styles of dance students performed during the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board's 10th annual showcase on Tuesday. Close to 100 secondary students attended the dance workshops hosted by the school board at Rhythm Plus studio in Stoney Creek. This year's classes also included hip hop and Latin dancing. Instructor Megan Medeiros leads Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board students through a hip-hop dance class Tuesday. Teachers watch a Latin dance workshop from the hall at Rhythm Plus studio in Stoney Creek. In the foreground, Samara-Lee Jardine and Brianna Frater from Cathedral High School move to the music. Alyssa Aceti leads a lyrical dance workshop for Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board secondary students Tuesday at Rhythm Plus studio in Stoney Creek. Instructor Percy Anane-Dwumfour puts students through their paces in an Afro-fusion dance class on Tuesday in Stoney Creek. Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board secondary students try out a hip-hop dance class Tuesday at Rhythm Plus studio in Stoney Creek as part of an annual showcase.
Hamilton Spectator
07-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Sunshine list: How much does Hamilton's highest-paid teacher make?
Hamilton's highest-paid teacher made $190,843.50 in 2024. Seventeen more made upward of $150,000, according to the provincial list of public-sector employees paid $100,000 or more. An additional 1,246 public and Catholic staff, largely teachers, were added to Ontario's sunshine list, which grew by about 25 per cent to a record 377,666 public servants. Teachers made up the majority of that growth. The number of Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board staff on the list increased dramatically to 2,738, compared to 1,879 the previous year. The number of Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board employees on the list also grew to 1,673 from 1,286 in 2023. This year's compensation gains followed an arbitrator decision that Bill 124, legislation capping public-sector wages at a maximum annual increase of one per cent, was unconstitutional. The 2019 legislation was repealed, and the province had to pay public-sector workers, including teachers, billions of dollars in retroactive payments. Hamilton's biggest public sector salaries dropped to their lowest level in 16 years. Here's who These 'lump sum' payments pushed more teachers over the threshold, public board spokesperson Renata Kuzma said in an email. This means some teachers, who at Catholic high schools make between about $58,000 and $117,000 (though it can differ depending on level of education), will drop below the $100,000-threshold again next year, said Sergio Cacoilo, the president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association for Hamilton secondary schools. Still, more teachers have permanently joined the sunshine list as wage grids increase. 'Going forward, we expect to have a higher number of teachers on this list relative to 2023 levels,' Kuzma said in an email. Teachers, Cacoilo said, work well beyond the afternoon bell — coaching, leading extracurricular activities, fundraising and lesson planning. Sometimes, they act as a second parent, and often face aggression and violence in the classroom. The job has changed 'drastically' in recent years, he said. 'Are teachers deserving of the $100,000? Maybe I am biased, but absolutely,' Cacoilo said. 'Teaching is not those six hours.' Education, said Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local president Cindy Gangaram, is the 'greatest investment into the future of this province,' and paying fairly in 'difficult times' helps retain teachers. 'It's not enough, but it is a move in the right direction,' she said. In 2022-23, Ontario teachers made, on average, between $56,340 and $103,982, depending on level of experience and years taught, according to Statistics Canada . Teachers are well paid, said David Johnson, a Wilfrid Laurier economics professor who has studied compensation among Canadian educators. His own research from 2014 found that Canadian teachers were paid well compared to other professions, in part because most 'belong to unions with a considerable amount of bargaining power,' he said. Once dominated by city bureaucrats and public health officials, chiefs across Ontario now sit The study, which also compared teacher salaries by province, also found that higher wages didn't equate to better student performance. At the top of the list of local school board staff are education directors, associate directors, superintendents and managers, as well as a handful of principals and teachers. No educational assistants or custodians made the list. Several top-paid teachers, including the top earner at the Catholic board, are listed as being seconded to unions. Others, however, are unexplained. Unions say some teachers work summer and night school for additional pay. Hamilton Catholic secondary teachers, for example, make approximately $4,000 for one month of summer school, Cacoilo said. Teachers can also be seconded to the Ministry of Education, a university or other organization, Gangaram said. 'They would then … fall under that compensation package,' she said. Catholic education director David Hansen made $255,559.77 in 2024, up significantly from $219,205.63 in 2022. The change, Daly said, was related to the elimination of a superintendent position and a 'realignment of additional responsibilities' among senior administration. He also noted the director and other members of senior administration are within the established compensation framework. Public board education director Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini made more in 2024 at $265,980.72. Some experts say the list of high-end salaries is becoming irrelevant, the Star reported .
Hamilton Spectator
07-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Sunshine list: What does Hamilton's highest-paid teacher make?
Hamilton's highest-paid teacher made $190,843.50 in 2024. Seventeen more made upward of $150,000, according to the provincial list of public-sector employees paid $100,000 or more. An additional 1,246 public and Catholic staff, largely teachers, were added to Ontario's sunshine list, which grew by about 25 per cent to a record 377,666 public servants. Teachers made up the majority of that growth. The number of Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board staff on the list increased dramatically to 2,738, compared to 1,879 the previous year. The number of Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board employees on the list also grew to 1,673 from 1,286 in 2023. This year's compensation gains followed an arbitrator decision that Bill 124, legislation capping public-sector wages at a maximum annual increase of one per cent, was unconstitutional. The 2019 legislation was repealed, and the province had to pay public-sector workers, including teachers, billions of dollars in retroactive payments. Hamilton's biggest public sector salaries dropped to their lowest level in 16 years. Here's who These 'lump sum' payments pushed more teachers over the threshold, public board spokesperson Renata Kuzma said in an email. This means some teachers, who at Catholic high schools make between about $58,000 and $117,000 (though it can differ depending on level of education), will drop below the $100,000-threshold again next year, said Sergio Cacoilo, the president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association for Hamilton secondary schools. Still, more teachers have permanently joined the sunshine list as wage grids increase. 'Going forward, we expect to have a higher number of teachers on this list relative to 2023 levels,' Kuzma said in an email. Teachers, Cacoilo said, work well beyond the afternoon bell — coaching, leading extracurricular activities, fundraising and lesson planning. Sometimes, they act as a second parent, and often face aggression and violence in the classroom. The job has changed 'drastically' in recent years, he said. 'Are teachers deserving of the $100,000? Maybe I am biased, but absolutely,' Cacoilo said. 'Teaching is not those six hours.' Education, said Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local president Cindy Gangaram, is the 'greatest investment into the future of this province,' and paying fairly in 'difficult times' helps retain teachers. 'It's not enough, but it is a move in the right direction,' she said. In 2022-23, Ontario teachers made, on average, between $56,340 and $103,982, depending on level of experience and years taught, according to Statistics Canada . Teachers are well paid, said David Johnson, a Wilfrid Laurier economics professor who has studied compensation among Canadian educators. His own research from 2014 found that Canadian teachers were paid well compared to other professions, in part because most 'belong to unions with a considerable amount of bargaining power,' he said. Once dominated by city bureaucrats and public health officials, chiefs across Ontario now sit The study, which also compared teacher salaries by province, also found that higher wages didn't equate to better student performance. At the top of the list of local school board staff are education directors, associate directors, superintendents and managers, as well as a handful of principals and teachers. No educational assistants or custodians made the list. Several top-paid teachers, including the top earner at the Catholic board, are listed as being seconded to unions. Others, however, are unexplained. Unions say some teachers work summer and night school for additional pay. Hamilton Catholic secondary teachers, for example, make approximately $4,000 for one month of summer school, Cacoilo said. Teachers can also be seconded to the Ministry of Education, a university or other organization, Gangaram said. 'They would then … fall under that compensation package,' she said. Catholic education director David Hansen made $255,559.77 in 2024, up significantly from $219,205.63 in 2022. The change, Daly said, was related to the elimination of a superintendent position and a 'realignment of additional responsibilities' among senior administration. He also noted the director and other members of senior administration are within the established compensation framework. Public board education director Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini made more in 2024 at $265,980.72. Some experts say the list of high-end salaries is becoming irrelevant, the Star reported .
