Unions say London-area education job cuts underscore lack of provincial funding

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 26, 2025 5:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Unions representing London's nationalist schoolhouse teachers accidental the Thames Valley District School Board's (TVDSB) determination to chopped astir 60 positions shows that schoolhouse boards request much provincial funding.

The TVDSB announced this week that astir 59 positions successful Learning Support Services (LSS) would present beryllium surplus. Surplus unit volition stay employees of the committee connected a permission of lack erstwhile their positions are cut, alternatively than being laid off.

The committee said the presumption cuts are "due to provincial backing uncertainties," and "teaching unit successful these positions volition beryllium fixed the accidental to question different roles."

Union officials said affected unit are already being notified by the committee of their surplus status, but interim subordinate manager Karen Wilkinson said during a committee gathering connected Mar. 25, "there are nary decisions made astatine the existent time" portion the committee waits for provincial backing information.

"It is aboriginal days, and the crushed for the surplus of positions presently is astir gathering the needs of the corporate statement truthful that everyone tin beryllium reasonably treated successful presumption of what their options are," she said.

The committee did not instantly respond to a petition for clarification arsenic to whether the fig of positions mentioned successful the interior connection was final.

John Bernans, the president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation's Thames Valley local, said careless of the specifics, the state is not doing capable to support schools afloat.

"It's been a dilatory starving of education," Bernans said. 

Cuts similar these are not unheard of astatine the cash-strapped board, which is facing a $16-million fund deficit while besides undergoing an acquisition ministry audit, and a melodramatic translation successful its enactment amid a contention tied to its absorption of funds.

Still, according to Bernans, astir fractional of the province's schoolhouse boards are moving fund deficits, and the Ontario government's cuts to acquisition backing are mostly to blame.

"We're yet starting to spot the interaction due to the fact that schoolhouse boards can't support going into reserves, and present they person to equilibrium their budgets," helium said.

Core backing hasn't yet been confirmed by the Ministry of Education, arsenic a caller fund volition person to beryllium passed by the precocious re-elected provincial authorities aft politicians instrumentality to Queen's Park successful April.

Concerns for students, teachers

LSS staff play an important relation successful aiding some teachers and students, Bernans said.

Their positions include learning coordinators who facilitate nonrecreational development, and teachers connected peculiar duty who assistance students with idiosyncratic acquisition plans and assistive exertion for students with disabilities.

While the afloat interaction of the cuts remains unclear, Bernans said helium believes the cuts volition pb to less enactment services for some students and staff.

Those concerns besides widen to caller teachers attempting to participate the acquisition sector.

"Certainly, it's not bully quality for radical who are entering the assemblage either," helium said, pointing retired that vacant teaching positions whitethorn present beryllium filled by surplus LSS unit alternatively of extracurricular hires.

According to Craig Smith, the president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario's Thames Valley Local, surplus staffing situations similar these aren't antithetic astatine the TVDSB. 

He said portion helium does person concerns, helium hopes the simple teachers affected are capable to find positions done the board's outpouring staffing process. 

Smith besides said determination is accidental to beryllium recovered here.

Alongside the cuts, the TVDSB said it is "exploring ways to reimagine [LSS] to amended conscionable the needs of our students and schools."

The existent LSS exemplary has been successful spot since 2007, Smith said. "It whitethorn beryllium an opportune clip to look astatine the exemplary and measure whether it's the astir effectual [way to deliver] the support."

He indicated helium hoped to spot little absorption connected moving from the schoolhouse committee office, and much absorption connected however that enactment tin manifest successful schools.