The province has reached a provisional deal with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, following a difficult round of negotiations that at one point saw educators hitting the picket lines twice a week.

News of the agreement with the country’s largest teacher union came Friday evening, little over a week after the government and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association hammered out a tentative contract.

Both deals still need to be ratified by the unions.

“Our government is pleased to announce a tentative agreement has been reached between the Crown, ETFO teachers and education workers, and the school boards trustees’ associations,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in a written statement.

“Our government has committed to maintaining class sizes and full-day kindergarten, investing in special education, and a fair increase in compensation.”

The elementary teachers had been seeking iron-clad assurances that full-day kindergarten would remain as is, with the current staffing model of a full-time teacher and full-time early childhood educator, as well as a boost in funding for supports for special education students.

The government had proposed a one-per-cent annual salary increase in each year of a deal, in line with wage-cap legislation it passed in late 2019.

The 83,000-member elementary union also represents occasional teachers and early childhood educators in public and Catholic boards, and has reached separate tentative deals for those groups as well.

“This has been a very prolonged and difficult bargaining process,” said union President Sam Hammond in a written statement. “We are very grateful for the support and unwavering solidarity of our members, and the public who have continued to stand up for public education and the supports that our students and educators need now and in the future.”

Details of the deal were not released.

Cathy Abraham, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, said “despite the many challenges caused by the current pandemic situation, all of the parties continued to work towards reaching a deal that will help to bring some stability to our system during what is obviously an unprecedented and rapidly evolving situation.”

Teachers and education workers, she added, “will be an important part of guiding our students through the challenging time ahead.”

Lecce has ordered the province’s 4,800 schools to shut down for the next two weeks as part of the province’s measures to contain the novel coronoavirus outbreak.

On Friday, he officially announced a new website where families and students can go to find learning materials during the break.

“This tentative ETFO agreement builds further momentum for deals and progress that students deserve, following last week’s tentative agreement signed with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association,” Lecce also said.

Talks continue next week with the AEFO, which represents 12,000 French-board teachers.

Provincial mediators have yet to recall the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and the government back to the table.

“We remain focused on landing further deals, to provide stability and certainty to students, parents, and educators,” Lecce also said.

Last Thursday’s deal with the Catholic teachers’ union marked the first deal the Ford government had reached with teacher unions in this current round of contract talks, which led to huge upheaval in the sector, with educators engaging in work-to-rule and rotating strikes.

Sources have told the Star that deal provided a one-per-cent wage increase annually, as well as a one-per-cent-plus-inflation increase to benefits.

It also said to water down Regulation 274, a hiring rule that gives preference to those who have served the longest on the supply list when they apply for new, long-term and full-time teaching positions.

Lecce has repeatedly said he would prefer boards be able to hire the best fit for the job.

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It is believed the Catholic deal allows about one-third of new hires to be exempt from the regulation.

Regulation 274 was also an issue for the elementary teachers at the bargaining table.

The Catholic teachers vote to ratify April 7 and 8.