Welcome to the CUPE BC K-12 Presidents’ Council site

Welcome to the CUPE BC K-12 Presidents’ Council site

The K-12 Presidents’ Council represents 57 CUPE locals in school districts across British Columbia.

CUPE represents more than 30,000 education workers including: education assistants, school secretaries, custodians/caretakers, Indigenous support workers, IT workers, Strong Start facilitators, trades and maintenance workers, and bus drivers.

We strive to protect quality public education for all.

Learn more about B.C. school support workers

Bulletin – LIF funding allocations for 2025-26 school year now available

The Ministry of Education and Child Care has informed all B.C. school districts that Learning Improvement Fund allocations for the 2025-2026 school year are now available.

LIF provides an ongoing multi-year commitment from the provincial government for additional resources to the K-12 public education system, specifically targeted to support students with diverse needs. The LIF regulation, including what it can be use for, can be found here.

All B.C. school districts are required to engage in genuine consultation with local unions on how its LIF allocation will be used.

School districts are required to confirm with BCPSEA that consultations were (i) held with mutual respect and cooperation, and (ii) there is legitimate intent to take into account the concerns of both parties. Districts and locals must confirm by signing and submitting the Confirmation of Genuine Consultation form by June 20, 2025.

If your local does not agree that genuine consultations have taken place, please inform your National Servicing Representative. If a local and school district cannot agree on consultations, the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) will work with the parties to facilitate the process.

 

CLICK HERE for the 2025-26 Learning Improvement Fund Allocations

CLICK HERE for the Confirmation of Genuine Consultation form

View PDF

Provincial Bargaining Bulletin #3 – Provincial bargaining continues

Your K-12 provincial bargaining committee met again this week with their counterparts from the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) for the second bargaining session.

Over the two-day meeting, the committees discussed a wide range of important issues that could be addressed in a new Provincial Framework Agreement (PFA). While discussions were cordial and cooperative, it is clear there is more work to do to reach a fair agreement.

Your bargaining committee is hopeful that approaching these challenging discussions head on will help foster real progress on the key priorities of K-12 members across the province. These priorities include fair wages, increased hours, securing public childcare work for our members, and addressing violence experienced by school support workers. We have been clear with BCPSEA – these issues need to be addressed in the new PFA.

The next bargaining session is scheduled for three-days, June 9-11. Members can expect an update shortly after this next meeting.

Learn more about the bargaining process for K-12 school support locals in B.C.

View PDF

Provincial Bargaining Bulletin #2 – Provincial bargaining kicks off

The K-12 provincial bargaining committee met with their counterparts from the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association this week to begin negotiations for a new Provincial Framework Agreement.

Talks began with your provincial bargaining committee tabling a comprehensive set of proposals. With guidance from K-12 locals and the provincial bargaining survey, the union’s proposals covered a wide array of issues, with focus on four key areas. They include fair wages, increased hours, securing public child care work for our members, and addressing violence experienced by school support workers.

This first bargaining session – a 3-day meeting in Burnaby – was positive and cordial. Your bargaining committee voiced a commitment to working cooperatively with public school employers in strengthening B.C. public schools. Your committee was clear with BCPSEA: school support workers need better support to keep providing the services BC students depend on and deserve. These workers also deserve to earn a fair wage to live in the communities they serve.

The bargaining committees are scheduled to meet again in May and June. The K-12 bargaining committee will be sending out regular bulletins as negotiations progress. Watch for them at bcschools.cupe.ca, our Facebook page @cupek12bc, and directly from your local.

Learn more about the K-12 sector bargaining process in B.C.

View PDF

Provincial Bargaining Bulletin #1 – Provincial bargaining begins April 14

After months of training, research, consultations and discussions, the K-12 provincial bargaining committee is ready to head to the table. Today, the K-12 Presidents Council gave its overwhelming endorsement to the bargaining committee’s proposals and priorities for a new provincial framework agreement.

Guided by the results of the provincial bargaining survey, the top bargaining priorities will be:

  • Fair wages that recognize the value of B.C.’s over 30,000 school support workers.
  • Increased hours of work available to school support workers so they can make enough to live in the communities they serve.
  • Securing public child care in our public schools.
  • Addressing the rising violence against school support workers in their workplaces.

Bargaining for the next Provincial Framework Agreement will begin April 14, 2025, with a 3-day meeting between the K-12 provincial bargaining committee and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association. Additional bargaining dates have been scheduled in May and June. Collective agreements for K-12 sector locals in B.C. expire on June 30, 2025.

The bargaining committee will be sending out regular bulletins as negotiations progress. Watch for them at bcschools.cupe.ca, directly from your local, and on Facebook @cupek12bc.

Learn more about the bargaining process for K-12 school support locals in B.C.

 

View PDF

Bulletin – Standing in solidarity with Alberta CUPE education workers

Over 4000 education workers in the Alberta K-12 public school system are on strike. These CUPE members are fighting back against years of provincial governments mandated wages that have left K-12 workers struggling to get by.

So far, nine CUPE locals across the province are on the picket lines. The members represented by these locals have seen their wages lag further and further behind inflation. With over a 10 percent vacancy of school support jobs in the province, the low-wages and poor working conditions have made recruiting and retaining staff a challenge for Alberta school districts.

CUPE education workers are standing up for themselves, and the students and families that depend on them every school day. They are standing up for better supports for better Alberta schools. And they need our support to keep standing strong.

We are urging our B.C. K-12 locals to write letters of support to our friends and fellow school support workers on the picket line in Alberta and consider donating to their strike support fund.

Please send a message to our Alberta friends – B.C. has got your back!