Candidate Background – Stephen Penney
A native of Glovertown, Newfoundland, and the son of two educators who spent a combined 74 years in the classroom, Steve Penney has been immersed in an environment that is dedicated to, and passionate about, education since day 1.
With 20 years of service as a Chemistry and Math teacher, which started in the Vista School district and Bonavista area, to Booth Memorial High in St. John’s, and most recently as one of the longest serving e-Teachers within the CDLI organization, Steve’s career has given him experiences from within the entirety of the education system to draw upon including rural to urban, and both high school and K-12 settings and structures. His current position has afforded him the ability to make connections and build relationships with students and staff in every corner of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and opened the door to conversations on a regular basis of the challenges and obstacles our schools face day-in and day-out.
Throughout his 20 years of tenure, Steve has displayed a high level of dedication to both his career path and students, as an NLTA School Rep for St. Mark’s School in King’s Cove, within the Landfall Branch, an NLTA rep for the past 7 years for CDLI-BRJH of the St. John’s Centre Branch, a multi-year delegate within the School Sports NL (SSNL) organization, while serving on several curriculum and public exam committees for the Department of Education, including the development of the most recent Chemistry 3202 curriculum.
With a Masters of Educational Leadership from Memorial University, Steve has put to use his proven leadership abilities and committed himself to the youth of the province and is a decorated volunteer with Hockey NL’s AAA program, a coach and coordinator for the Town of Paradise’s female hockey programming, and has been an advocate for girls in sport for a decade, giving countless hours to initiatives such as World Girls’ Hockey Weekends. He has been a driving force behind the growth of the female game in both Paradise, and island wide.
Most recently, Steve’s passion for education and teacher wellness has brought him on the path to the nomination for the position of NLTA VP for 2025-27. He has been outspoken in public settings on the issues and challenges that members are currently facing, and hopes to now empower the membership to stand united to evoke change. Tackling issues with knowledge, logic and a fresh perspective, he has been able to shed new light on systemic issues, in attempts to drive conversation and initiate change.
His focus is collective bargaining and ensuring that our teachers not only begin to see meaningful gains in coming contracts, but also gains that bring us back to a level where we can finally begin to recruit and retain more of the top-notch talent we currently employ, to help those currently keeping the system afloat. Steve maintains that unless our schools can roster a full complement of teachers, TLAs, and student assistants, then any attempts to reduce teacher stress, workload, workplace violence, and burnout, will be futile. Furthermore, in order to recruit and retain, it must start with a strong collective agreement. We must become competitive with other jurisdictions. And, we must start to see meaningful incentives for all teachers, young and old, new and experienced; including leave benefits, guaranteed prep time, clear hiring practices, retention bonuses, and support for teacher and TLA safety within the walls of our schools. Otherwise, our trajectory does not change.
“From December 9-13, I ask you to be vocal and stand with me. I humbly ask for your support as I lead our membership back to being united and strong.”
Vote Steve Penney
An Informed Voice. A Fresh Perspective.
-Stephen Penney
