The union representing education workers at the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario says proposed staffing cuts by the board will impact students.
In a post on their website, CUPE 4154 and the Ontario School Board Council of Unions say, despite the school board already being understaffed, they are proposing cuts to nearly 20 positions including student support workers, information communications technology staff, as well as the elimination of several positions including itinerant custodians and itinerant school office administrators.
They say they are also reducing several 12-month administration positions to 10-month positions, which will severely impact salaries and pension contributions.
The council of unions says the cuts reflect a broader pattern driven by chronic underfunding of education in Ontario since 2018.
“These cuts are a direct attack on the frontline workers who support students and keep our schools running every day,” says Trudy Scott, President of CUPE 4154. “The board is framing this as an overall reduction of 1.5 per cent, but that does not even begin to come close to the reality of the full impact. Once again, they’ve chosen to balance their budget on the backs of education workers.”
CUPE 4154 and the council of unions are calling on the province to properly fund education and on the school board to immediately reverse these job cuts.
A statement released by the school board to Moose FM says “the recent restructuring reflects a clear and deliberate focus on meeting students where their learning needs are greatest. No resources are being taken away from students, instead, resources are being restructured to better align with, and respond to, the needs we see in our classrooms today. Our priority remains student success and this approach allows resources to be used more intentionally.”
It adds that “as part of this realignment, the board is investing in additional staff focused on improving math and literacy instruction and interventions, student mental health, Early Years programming, special education supports, and evolving classroom technology. These roles will work to improve student well-being and learning outcomes.”
