Middle and high schools have ended, and preschools and elementary schools will end their year on June 30, according to a court ruling made Friday evening. The National Labor Court rejected the Education Ministry’s demand to extend the school year by nine days.
The court ruled that there was no good reason to require teachers to alter their contracts and teach the extra days “only because of possible consequences that could be resolved in other ways.”
The Education Ministry immediately responded to the court decision, saying that he has been in touch with the Teachers’ Union and that summer camp would start immediately on July 1 and run through August 1 for students in grades 1-4. Teaching staff could work at the camps for additional pay.
“Summer school will allow students to complete any gaps created due to the coronavirus,” Education Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement, noting that this alternative will also allow the economy to continue operating and help the country financially and socially.
“The local authorities, Finance and Education ministries will convene to complete an outline for the summer school program with a sense of responsibility and vision for the good of the child and their parents,” said Chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities Haim Bibas just before the start of Shabbat on Friday.
Bibas said that the state would fully-fund the program without cost to parents.
Earlier in the day Friday, the state sought to push off the court decision until Saturday night. However, the court, which was supposed to rule by 4 p.m. Friday (a decision was delivered shortly before 7 p.m.), said it had no intention of postponing the decision until the end of Saturday.
Earlier in the week, Gallant announced that a decision had been reached and that elementary and preschools would remain open until July 13 to help make up the nine days of school that were missed in March, when the country shut down to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
In a briefing, he explained that an agreement was struck between the Teachers’ Union and the Finance and Education ministries to add the extra days.
Per the agreement, grades 7-10 would have ended school on July 1. Eleventh and 12th graders will complete their matriculation exams between June 22 and 27.
However, the agreement was not signed by the Teachers’ Association, whose head Ron Erez refused to come to the negotiating table. The Teachers’ Union represents the younger grades and the Teachers’ Association represents the older grades. The agreement that was signed stipulated that if, in the end, high school teachers did not agree to extend the year, the preschools and elementary school teachers would not either.
Gallant told reporters on Sunday that the Education Ministry has the “tools” to ensure that teachers show up for class if a scenario arrives in which they refuse to do so, but Erez said he would take the matter to court, which he did.
“The signed agreement enshrined the full payment of all teaching staff in the civil service and established the principle of equality among all teaching staff in the education system,” the Teachers’ Union said in a statement following Friday’s ruling.
“I wish you and your family a pleasant vacation,” said union head Yaffa Ben-David. “I want to thank you for your dedicated work during this complex and dark period. Not only did you teach, you served as anchors for many families and students and proved a significant presence in many homes in Israel. This is not self-evident and for that you deserve great thanks.”
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