Two school board locals in Ontario are waging public campaigns to stop cuts proposed by their employers. CUPE 218, representing Durham District School Board (DDSB) workers and CUPE 4222, representing Thames Valley District School Board workers (TVDSB) will be urging trustees to cancel the cuts as they will have a serious impact on education.
DDSB is planning to cut more than 50 per cent of the highly qualified and experienced educational assistants (EAs) who provide dedicated care to special needs students. “Why is this board cutting care for high needs students in spite of nearly one million dollars of new funding from the provincial government,” said Don Bryans, president of CUPE 218. “The Durham board must treat special needs students fairly and they must continue to provide qualified care to these students.”
Meanwhile at the TVDSB, centralized warehousing services, distribution services and technical services are in danger of being shut down or reduced. “Slashing vital services on the backs of staff and students is not delivering quality education,” said Gloria Scoyne, president of CUPE 4222. “This board must show true leadership and stop downloading centralized school board services to individual schools.”
Both locals will be making presentations at school board meetings and will involve parents, school staff and concerned community members in their fight for quality education.
