Latest news with #Redevelopment
The Journal
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Threat of industrial action in secondary schools as ASTI rejects Leaving Cert reform package
THE ASSOCIATION OF Secondary Teachers in Ireland have rejected measures aimed at enabling Leaving Cert reforms, and voted in favour of industrial action. ASTI members voted to reject the Senior Cycle Redevelopment – Implementation Support Measures' by 68% to 32%. The turnout was 73%. The reforms, which are due to be implemented this September, propose allocating a minimum of 40% of Leaving Cert marks to project work or practicals across all subjects in an effort to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of student's skills. But teachers have voiced concerns about how the moves will affect the way students are assessed and marked, especially in the context of the risk of students using artificial intelligence to complete assignments. In a separate ballot, the union voted by 67% to 33% in favour of industrial action, 'up to and including strike action', in opposition to the accelerated implementation of the Leaving Cert reforms. The union said the outcome points to 'a lack of confidence in the accelerated Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme as it is currently constituted'. ASTI General Secretary Kieran Christie said the support measures on offer 'do little to provide a Senior Cycle experience for all students that addresses the core inequalities that are in place in the second-level system'. Advertisement He said ASTI research published this year shows that a key concern 'is the lack of resources and capacity in schools to introduce such radical change in an effective manner', along with developments in AI and insufficient teacher training in some subject areas. 'The support package available from the Department fails to sufficiently address these concerns,' he added. The ASTI said it will continue to be available to engage with the Minister for Education and her Department 'in relation to how these and other significant concerns can be addressed'. In a statement, Education Minister Helen McEntee said the support measures on offer followed 'positive engagement' between the Department and the ASTI, as well as the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI). Last week, TUI members voted by 73% to 27% to accept the supports package. The Department said that it will seek to engage with the TUI leadership in the coming days as it proceeds to implement the support measures. McEntee said ASTI members have committed to cooperating with Senior Cycle Redevelopment and had confirmed to Department officials that their members will teach the new and revised specifications from the next school year. She also said that the vote 'will not affect the implementation of targeted supports for students contained in the package'. 'As I confirmed in April, the implementation of the programme will continue with the introduction of the first tranche of new and revised Leaving Certificate subjects in September 2025 as previously announced. 'The package of additional supports contains a number of significant measures aimed at supporting students directly. I am absolutely committed to delivering on those measures as we proceed with implementation of this programme.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
13-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Teachers warned that pay hikes will be clawed back if Leaving Cert reform is blocked
A Department of Education letter to secondary teacher unions reminded them that payment of increases due under current and future wage deals depend on them backing reforms. It said it reserved the right to seek a pause or clawback of pay rises in the event of industrial action or 'non-compliance' with a Senior Cycle Redevelopment plan. The letter said payment of pay rises worth 1pc under this deal and 2pc under the next, under a special local bargaining clause, are subject to compliance with the deal. It also says 'outstanding payments' due under the pay deal, which are separate to the local bargaining pay rises, are subject to their compliance. These outstanding payments include three pay rises worth 3pc that are due to all 400,000 public servants under the deal. They include a 1pc pay rise on August 1, a 1pc pay rise on February 1 next year and another 1pc in June 2026. The TUI has recommended that its members accept the reform package but the ASTI is not issuing a recommendation to its members on how they should vote. Students will be awarded a minimum of 40pc of their marks for project or practical work under the reforms that are designed to ease exam pressure on students. 'It should be clearly understood that the benefits of this agreement are dependent on parties to it approving the agreement and complying with it,' said the letter sent on May 8. 'The payment of the 1pc and 2pc element of local bargaining are subject to this agreement being complied with for the duration of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme. 'The department reserves the right to seek a pause or clawback of these increases in the event of industrial action or other non-compliance in the future in respect of Senior Cycle Redevelopment, through the appropriate Public Service Agreement structures. 'The outstanding payments due under the Public Service Agreement 2024 to 2026 are subject to compliance with the PSA, including commitments relating to supporting, and co-operating with, Senior Cycle Redevelopment.' However, the department said if cooperation ceases at any stage, it t will refer the dispute to dispute resolution mechanisms that are part of the deal. The letter from Dalton Tatton, assistant secretary general, said the department considers a document it sent the ASTI and TUI as 'a full and final offer' in relation to support measures for this phase of Leaving Cert redevelopment. Among measures to support the rollout of the reforms, the letter referred to revised arrangements for teachers securing permanent contracts and a 'reconfiguration' of extra hours being worked. The development of a 'right to disconnect' policy is also mentioned, along with working groups to monitor a programme that relates to AI. Kieran Christie, general secretary of the ASTI, said the union's ballot will end in June. 'We're balloting our members and bringing the full facts to their attention without a recommendation,' he said. 'We are mindful and our members are mindful of their obligations under the agreement.' He said the union sees the letter in the 'context of normal engagement in bargaining and industrial relations'. He said the ASTI has been aware of the potential penalties since its members accepted the public sector pay deal and the letter is a 'further elaboration on that'. It is understood that there is a feeling among a portion of members of the unions that the reforms were rushed and will involve an excessive workload. Sources said there are also concerns around the use of AI and authenticating projects.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Strategic Housing Plan for Oahu is launched by city
In what the city describes as bold and unprecedented, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi's administration this week publicly announced its plan to expand construction of more housing across Oahu. Coinciding with the mayor's second four-year term, the city's Office of Housing released its 2025-2028 Strategic Housing Plan, which aims to partner with developers to 'activate underutilized ' city-owned lands on the island and involve using new types of 'financing strategies ' to build more housing on the island. And the city's plan also calls for the merger of the existing Mayor's Office of Housing with the existing city Department of Land Management—to create the new Department of Housing and Land Management—to supposedly centralize and streamline the city's development, finance and policy efforts. The same plan would consolidate all homeless and transitional housing functions under the city Department of Community Services, the city says. The plan, which does not offer an overall number of new housing units the city expects to develop on the island, will supposedly lay the groundwork for such development in the coming years—or at least as long as the Blangiardi administration remains in office. The mayor's second and final term ends in 2028. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. 'This is about us moving from planning to execution, and a lot of our next term is going to be about doing precisely that, ' Blangiardi said during a news conference inside Honolulu Hale Wednesday. 'But I can't think of anything more profound or important for us in the city's involvement in what we're going to do to create housing.' The mayor's news conference also featured a few 'special guests '—namely, representatives from large developer firms including Kobayashi Group LLC, Stanford Carr Development LLC, and Castle &Cooke Hawaii, among others. City officials outlined the housing plan's key initiatives :—Expand transit-oriented development, or TOD, via Skyline to create high-density, mixed-use communities along its nearly 20-mile route. That effort would concentrate growth—housing, offices, retail, education, and government services—in Hono lulu's primary urban center. The TOD corridors would reduce commute times, lower transportation costs, and support Hono lulu's sustainability goals.—Activate Skyline's Kuwili Station TOD Redevelopment Area. The plan states the city and state's land holdings in the Iwilei area—where the Kuwili Station is planned—will help 'improve connectivity, address environmental concerns, and mitigate flood risks.' The plan envisions thousands of housing units within a mixed-use district, backed by $2.7 million in federal and state grants for infrastructure and master planning.—Accelerate housing development by leveraging underutilized public lands and streamlining procurement processes to expedite partnerships with local developers.—Enhance housing finance strategies. City officials say existing funding sources for affordable housing, including general obligation bonds, private activity bonds, and the Affordable Housing Fund—Ordinance 7-19—are limited. The city is currently exploring new financing strategies—some derived from other cities and counties on the mainland—to expand opportunities for housing development here.—Improve housing policies and processes with support from the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, or UHERO. To that end, city officials say they will conduct a comprehensive review of housing programs and policies. A new set of recommendations is expected by late 2025. At the news conference, Office of Housing Executive Director Kevin Auger said the housing plan—released to the public Friday—is the first time the city has 'addressed our affordable housing crisis in over 25 years.' 'It provides a road map outlining direct actions that the city will be undertaking to facilitate the production of housing on Oahu, ' he said. 'But more than that, it represents a fundamental shift toward a proactive delivery model that emphasizes execution, public-private collaboration and strategic investment.' In part, Auger said Skyline will offer TOD housing through urban Honolulu, where the rail will roll into downtown by 2031. 'TOD development concentrates growth and density in the primary urban areas without encroaching on rural areas, ' he said. He added the 'immediate focus ' of TOD projects would be in the Iwilei area, and at the Kuwili Skyline Station, near the old Iwilei Center. In January 2024, the city announced it closed a $51.5 million deal to purchase the Iwilei Center. The transaction will convert the existing center—long home to warehouses, loading docks, offices for lease as well as more than two dozen commercial tenants—to a new, city-owned affordable housing development, the city said. Acquired by the city's Department of Land Management from Iwilei Center LLC, an affiliate of Blacksand Capital, the purchase of the 3.8-acre property includes addresses at 850 and 866 Iwilei Road and 505 Kaaahi St., respectively. 'We believe that conservatively that that area can support 1, 500 to 2, 000 housing units, that's directly located adjacent to Chinatown, it's within walking distance of downtown, ' he said, adding TOD development will reduce residents' 'dependency on automobiles, reducing the cost to support them.' Deemed the first phase of the mayor's new housing plan, Auger said the city has 'an aggressive ' schedule to break ground on the Iwilei development by 2028. He noted the city also owns 10 properties around Oahu—from Waianae to Waikiki—that are ripe for redevelopment. 'The combined total (is ) about 35 acres, ' Auger said. 'We believe conservatively those lands can accommodate close to 2, 600 housing units, including the Iwilei Center development.' He added 'to move these properties into development, we're committed to issuing requests for qualifications to secure development partners for all of these properties for calendar year 2025.' 'The first request for qualifications includes the portfolio of four properties, and that was issued just last Friday, ' he said. But Auger admitted developing housing projects on Oahu could take time—in the case of Iwilei Center, it will be three years before the project breaks ground. 'It takes a long time to get a development off the ground in Hawaii, ' Auger told news reporters. 'Environmental review, planning and permitting, development … and most importantly, getting a line of low-income housing tax credits, if you're building affordable housing.' 'When you look at private activity bonds and low-income housing tax credits, that combination, and you look at the last five years—that program is administered by Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation—that limited resource only delivers less than a thousand units a year on average, ' he added. At the news conference, individual developers did not speak on or address the city's prospective developments. But Council Vice Chair Matt Weyer, chair of the panel's Housing, Sustainability, Economy and Health Committee, spoke to the importance of creating more housing for residents. 'We see the need for resources on all parts of the spectrum, from non-congregate (housing ), to low-moderate income households, to market-rate units, ' Weyer said. 'And we see the need to address the out-migration. It's not just affecting our families, it's affecting our workforce.' After the news conference, Housing Hawaii's Future Policy Director Perry Arrasmith told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that his nonprofit, which advocates for more workforce housing for teachers, firefighters, police officers and health care workers, was impressed with the city's new housing plan. 'This has been something that the city has needed for a really long time, ' he said, 'and now it's going to be a matter of actually implementing this plan.'
