The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB) is coming under fire after trustees voted to eliminate 11 front-line workers.
The union representing school workers says the board is redirecting the savings to hire one superintendent position.
“We’ll have folks that will not have a job, while we add an additional job into the education centre,” says Laura Walton, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
CUPE, the union that represents education workers for the school board, is speaking out after trustees voted in favour of next school year’s budget that cuts the jobs of 11 front line workers.
“It translates to 11 CUPE jobs lost,” says Jo-Anne White, president of CUPE 1022. “Which is 4.14 custodial maintenance jobs and 6.83 clerical jobs.”
But Katherine MacIver, the director of education at HPEDSB is firm, saying the cuts are related to provincial funding running dry.
“There is a reduction in some CUPE positions,” says MacIver.
“We had temporary funding for a period of three years that was removed in the latest round of funding. And as a result, those were some of the tough decisions we had to make.”
In a historic move, the school budget was first voted down last week in a 4 to 4 gridlock, before being voted in favour this week, 5 to 4.
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“I was expecting and hoping for some kind of communication between the union and even the other employee groups within the board, and those who were tasked with setting the budget,” says White.
“But, unfortunately, they kept the exact same budget. Which really, really stung.”
The approved budget will see the creation of a new superintendent position with a salary of about $211,000.
But MacIver says the salary for the superintendent isn’t being subsidized with the 11 job cuts.
“We restructured our senior leadership team in order to make room for that position by reducing in other areas,” says MacIver.
“So, it really is at no cost to the board to have that position in place, due to reduction in other senior leadership positions.”
But CUPE Ontario School Boards Council of Unions President Laura Walton says there’s an imbalance in structure.
“Having an additional superintendent at the time that you’re cutting 11 of the lowest paid workers seems to be more of adding more people to the top, and yet, removing from the bottom,” says Walton.
White says the 2022-2023 budget has already been finalized and sent to the ministry, so no changes can be made.
She says impacted workers have been informed and are in the process of working out next steps.
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