Senior school teachers of the Elmore Stoutt High School CTL campus despite being online have this morning called in sick.
Their sick out was originally scheduled for yesterday Wednesday October 27th similar to the junior school teachers. However, once education official got wind of the plan by senior teachers they moved to close senior school for remedial work.
The silent strike out shows the unprecedented frustration by teachers across the territory of the Virgin Islands particularly those at the Elmore Stoutt High School junior and senior campuses.
In an invited comment education minister said yesterday, “The ministry is investigating the specific reasons that teachers at the junior campus of the Elmore Stoutt High School did not report to work. This action was not sanctioned by the Teachers Union. We have been engaged in ongoing dialogue with the teachers union. Five issues were identified when we met in August:
1. Payment of a $300 stipend–
This request was approved, money budgeted, and cheques are in process of being administered
2. Payment of increments–
This request was approved. The first of these was budgeted and it is in the process of being administered through HR
3. Full involvement of salary review–
This request was approved as confirmed by the Director of HR in her announcement of Salary Review
4. Maintenance and Mould Remediation–
This is happening on an ongoing basis. We have spent close to $1 million thus far this year
5. Updates on move from pasea campus to lower estate campus for Elmore Stoutt High School–
We have been making progress on an update will be given at the next meeting with Teachers Union as well as the House of Assembly”
More to come as the story develops.