The union representing more than 500 school board workers with the Chignecto Central Regional School Board in Nova Scotia says the elimination of frontline positions will have a direct impact on classrooms and students.
CUPE Local 3890 President Ron Davis says, “For us, the cuts announced this week will mean somewhere between six and eight people will lose their jobs. In addition to the 31 teaching positions that are being eliminated, these job losses will have a direct impact on the classrooms and the quality of education that students receive.
“To be clear, we believe a big part of the problem is that the school board administration seems to be unable – or unwilling – to cut jobs in senior administration. I mean, they eliminated 1.5 non-union positions. What does that tell you?” asks Davis.
Along with the CUPE positions, this week the Chignecto Board also announced cuts to full-time teaching positions, library service staff hours, buses, custodial supplies and professional development, citing a $2.5 million budget shortfall.
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia School Board Council of Unions (NSSBCU) Chair Wilfridine Crowdis says, “Education Minister Ramona Jennex and all of the school boards across the province must realize there is something fundamentally wrong with a budget process that for three years in a row now has seen cuts to frontline staff in our schools.
“The minister has tried to put a moratorium on school closures – I think it’s time she put one on job cuts in our schools,” says Crowdis.
The NSSBCU bargains provincially on behalf of seven CUPE school board locals and 3,700 CUPE school board workers outside of Halifax.