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More information on education system changes can be found at http://www.novascotia.ca/ educationsystem.

sional development and regular opportunities to meet with government and discuss terms. Any wage increases provided to teachers will be extended to administrators as well.

There will continue to be an affiliation with the NSTU — at least for now — that will allow principals and vice-principals to opt to go back to the classroom if they choose. However, this affiliation is not for life — the administrators’ group will have the power to decide to end its affiliation with the NSTU. A vote will be held in February 2019 and, if the association with the NSTU decides to end its affiliation with the NSTU, it will happen the following August. Votes will be held every two years afterward, the province said.

Principals and vice-principals will still be permitted to teach, but the act will cap the amount of teaching time allowed at 50 per cent. That will likely mean more staff will need to be hired, especially in rural areas, where principals are often teachers. The province is estimating this could mean up to 25 to 30 full-time equivalent positions being hired.

Churchill added that he didn’t believe there would be a challenge finding teachers to fill these positions.

The changes were tabled that afternoon in the legislature.