Edmonton Public Schools issued temporary layoff notices to 1,868 employees (1,740 full-time equivalent) this week.
“These cuts are significant,” Supt. Darrel Robertson said.
“These aren’t just numbers; they’re real people.”
The decision was made after the province diverted money from education towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The board said that means, for the months of May and June, Edmonton Public Schools’ budget is reduced by about $17.5 million — $13.78 million from the Base Instruction Grant and $3.7 million from transportation.
Staff impacted by temporary layoffs include 1,094 educational assistants, 86 administrative assistants, 28 clerks, 22 food preparation workers, 65 library technicians, 29 technicians, 21 speech language pathology assistants, two LPNs, one interpreter, 239 custodial assistants, 40 exempt staff, 224 temporary bi-weekly support staff and 17 temporary exempt contracts.
Maintenance and infrastructure workers were not impacted by the layoffs, Robertson said.
The layoffs will take effect May 15.
“While we looked at other funding sources to minimize the impact across the division, in schools and in our central departments, reducing our staff was unavoidable,” Robertson said.
He said the district previously cancelled all out-of-province professional development, stopped back-filling vacant positions, and made other changes on work that was already budgeted for.
“But unfortunately, it wasn’t enough,” Robertson said.
These layoffs don’t include supply teachers and other staff whose jobs were affected once the province moved to online learning.
“The need for supply staff has been eliminated,” Robertson said, explaining supply staff are only paid when they work during the regular school year.
“With no requests coming through for our supply support staff and our supply teaching staff… we actually issued records of employment” so that those workers could access federal EI supports.
Impacted staff have been provided information about the federal and provincial income assistance programs. Permanent staff impacted by temporary layoff will retain their health benefits, which the division said it will cover for the duration they are laid off.
“These decisions were difficult. Every single one of our team members are valued,” Robertson said. “Together, our team has an unrelenting focus on ensuring students are successful. That focus has never wavered.”
READ MORE: Alberta orders all classes cancelled, daycares closed as COVID-19 cases rise to 56 in the province
Earlier Friday, the union that represents 36,000 public sector workers in Alberta, including those employed by school boards, said Edmonton Public Schools would be announcing layoffs.
CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill said the district has to cut $90 million from its funding in September due to the March provincial budget.
“Depending on a few variables, between 600-800 support staff will not return” in the fall, Gill said.
EPBS agrees the tough decisions are not over. Robertson said more will have to be made ahead of the new school year. He expects to get final funding numbers from the province in the “coming days.” That will determine how many of these temporary layoffs become permanent.
“I can’t comment on CUPE’s calculation of what has happened,” Robertson said, adding:
“I am expecting that there will be some staffing reductions that will be permanent next year.”
The union says 7,500 school support staff across Alberta have been given layoff notices, with many districts still to announce their numbers.
Another 6,000 substitute teachers will also be dismissed, CUPE Alberta said in a release Friday.
Despite the Alberta government calling these layoffs temporary due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the union doesn’t think many of these support staff will return to work in the fall.
A spokesperson for the Alberta government said the funding decision was not taken lightly.
“This is just as true in the public sector as the private sector. We’d also note that both the City of Calgary and City of Edmonton, along with countless businesses in the private sector, have been forced to make similarly difficult decisions.,” Colin Aitchison, press secretary for the minister of education, said.
“The unfortunate reality is that classes are not in session as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While distance learning options are being utilized to varying degrees, these do not employ the same number of workers as when schools are physically in class.
“Funding will be restored to regular levels when physical classes resume.
“It is disappointing that CUPE is misleading Albertans with false allegations about staffing for next school year and placing unnecessary stress on these workers. In fact, every single school division is projected to receive an increase in operational funding from the government for the 2020-21 school year,” Aitchison said.
Edmonton Catholic Schools announced on Thursday that is would temporarily lay off 708 employees as a result of the provincial funding cuts during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Staff were informed of the change on Thursday and the layoffs come into effect on April 30.
“On March 28, the provincial government announced funding cuts and divisions were asked to layoff educational assistants, replacement staff and other staff who are deemed non-essential while students are out of school,” the board’s statement read.
In a news release, the Opposition NDP said families need educational supports now more than ever.
“Staff have been providing vital emergency at-home learning support for students since March 15 when classes were cancelled,” NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman said.
“Their work is so important and knowing that many of these folks won’t return in September is heartbreaking for the students and families they support.
“Minister LaGrange promised to maintain funding to schools. Less than two weeks later, she made these devastating cuts. Doing this during this global health crisis demonstrates her failure to do the job Albertans elected her to do, to protect our students and keep Albertans working.”
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