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

Unions representing London's public school teachers say the Thames Valley District School Board's (TVDSB) move to cut almost 60 positions shows that school boards need more provincial funding.

The TVDSB announced this week that about 59 positions in Learning Support Services (LSS) would now be surplus. Surplus staff will remain employees of the board on a leave of absence once their positions are cut, rather than being laid off.

The board said the position cuts are "due to provincial funding uncertainties," and "teaching staff in these positions will be given the opportunity to seek other roles."

Union officials said affected staff are already being notified by the board of their surplus status, but interim associate director Karen Wilkinson said during a board meeting on Mar. 25, "there are no decisions made at the current time" while the board waits for provincial funding information.

"It is early days, and the reason for the surplus of positions currently is around meeting the needs of the collective agreement so that everyone can be fairly treated in terms of what their options are," she said.

The board did not immediately respond to a request for clarification as to whether the number of positions mentioned in the internal message was final.

John Bernans, the president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation's Thames Valley local, said regardless of the specifics, the province is not doing enough to keep schools afloat.

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

Cuts like these are not unheard of at the cash-strapped board, which is facing a $16-million budget deficit while also undergoing an education ministry audit, and a dramatic transformation in its leadership amid a controversy tied to its management of funds.

Still, according to Bernans, roughly half of the province's school boards are running budget deficits, and the Ontario government's cuts to education funding are largely to blame.

"We're finally starting to see the impact because school boards can't keep going into reserves, and now they have to balance their budgets," he said.

Core funding hasn't yet been confirmed by the Ministry of Education, as a new budget will have to be passed by the recently re-elected provincial government after politicians return to Queen's Park in April.

Concerns for students, teachers

LSS staff play an important role in aiding both teachers and students, Bernans said.

Their positions include learning coordinators who facilitate professional development, and teachers on special assignment who help students with individual education plans and assistive technology for students with disabilities.

While the full impact of the cuts remains unclear, Bernans said he believes the cuts will lead to fewer support services for both students and staff.

Those concerns also extend to new teachers attempting to enter the education sector.

"Certainly, it's not good news for people who are entering the profession either," he said, pointing out that vacant teaching positions may now be filled by surplus LSS staff instead of outside hires.

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

He said while he does have concerns, he hopes the elementary teachers affected are able to find positions through the board's spring staffing process. 

Smith also said there is opportunity to be found here.

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

The current LSS model has been in place since 2007, Smith said. "It may be an opportune time to look at the model and assess whether it's the most effective [way to deliver] the support."

He indicated he hoped to see less focus on working from the school board office, and more focus on how that support can manifest in schools.