Nearly 20 positions cut at Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario, unions warns of impact on vulnerable students

Staffing cuts of planned by the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario are drawing criticism from union representatives and education workers who warn the reductions will leave vulnerable students with fewer supports while increasing pressures on already strained staff.

According to a release issued by the Canadian Union of Public Employees(CUPE) Local 4154 and the Ontario School Board Council of Unions earlier this week, the school board has announced that close to 20 positions are being eliminated or significantly reduced, which will ultimately impact hundreds of workers and students across the board’s schools.

The board has said these cuts amount to an overall reduction of 1.5%, however, according to union representatives, that does not represent the “reality of the full impact.”

According to Trudy Scott, president of CUPE 4154, the majority of the the cuts will be impacting local high schools throughout Lanark County, including Carleton Place and Perth. The positions impacted will be student support workers, information communications technology staff, itinerant custodians and itinerant office administrators.

The union also confirmed that several secretary positions are also being reduced from 12-month to 10-month roles, affecting both employee incomes and pensions. Scott shared that the board has framed the cuts as part of a “restructuring process” intended to “better meet student needs.” Scott argues that removing student support workers will leave students without trusted adults many rely on throughout the school day.

“The student support worker role has just been a treasured role, especially in our high schools,” Scott told Lanarkist in an interview. “They’re that go-to person for vulnerable students in the school that are struggling socially or emotionally.”

She reiterated that the workers are not qualified counsellors, but instead help students build social and emotional regulation skills, provide classroom support and assist in running clubs and programs for students who may be struggling.

“For a lot of them, it’s their safe person in the school,” Scott added. “Not that there isn’t other safe people, but it’s just that person that is always there. The students know they’re there to reach out to.”

CUPE 4154 is also raising concerns about the elimination of itinerant custodial and administrative positions, which provide trained and knowledgeable replacements when permanent staff are absent.

Scott explained that those itinerant workers could step into schools seamlessly because they were already trained and familiar with school systems and operations.

“Sometimes with casual workers, which is not their fault, they just don’t have the right training to be able to come in and actually do the role,” she told Lanarkist.

The union estimates the this latest restructuring will actually affect more than 300 workers when accounting for not just job losses, but also transfers, reduced hours and internal displacement processes.

Scott noted that some student support workers may be forced into educational assistant positions that pay substantially less. “Even if they do obtain an EA job, that’s an $8-an-hour cut,” she emphasized.

The OSBCU says the cuts reflect broader funding problems in Ontario’s education system.

“What we’re seeing at CDSBEO is part of a broader pattern, where education workers are being asked to pay the price for underfunding,” said Joe Tigani, president of the OSBCU.

Scott said while the union disagrees with the board’s restructuring decisions, the issue ultimately stems from inadequate provincial funding for education.

“There’s just not enough funding in education,” she said. “We are underfunded, and the government needs to step up.”