In response to the province’s decision to re-direct $128 million in education funding towards the COVID-19 response, Pembina Hills will temporarily lay off about 270 support staff effective April 17.
That’s according to a news update posted to the Pembina Hills website on April 6, which details how the division will be impacted by the funding adjustment.
Instructional funding for Pembina Hills is being reduced by 14 per cent, while transportation funding is being reduced by 51 per cent. In total, this comes out to over $1.15 million.
The list of 270 support staff that will be temporarily laid off include administrative assistants, community school office staff, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and non-union bus drivers, division couriers, media centre staff, program assistants and program assistant mentors, and school librarians.
When asked to comment on the funding adjustment, Pembina Hills board chair Jennifer said the March 28 caught the division unaware.
She said that while trustees understand the emergency planning that must take place during a pandemic, it meant they were unable to be the first to communicate with their staff about the change in direction.
“We value all our staff and how they support the needs of our students,” Tuininga said.
While the impact of the funding adjustment is wide-reaching, one group that is particularly affected are special needs children who receive one-on-one support from educational assistants.
County of Barrhead agricultural fieldman Kyle Meunier has two sons who are both on the autism spectrum. His oldest son is in Grade 3 and his youngest is in Kindergarten; both have been supported by educational assistants since the start of their school career.
Kyle said bhis sons are very social — which is unusual for autistic children — and have been saddened by the cancellation of classes.
“(Our oldest) doesn’t understand why schools’ closed and why he’s not going there,” said Meunier. “That’s the biggest hurdle for us right now: to explain why it’s happening and why this is a temporary thing.”
Meunier said the first time his son “lit right up” when he logged into a ZOOM conference hosted by his Grade 3 teacher and saw the faces of his friends.
“It was awesome. He said hi to everybody. He misses his friends a lot,” Meunier said.
Like many parents, Meunier has struggled with the demands of schooling his children at home, which brings many distractions.
And of course, when his children are at school, they have an assistant to help keep them on task and work through assignments.
“The boys did so well with them. Now that they’re not there … I don’t want to say they seem lost, but the focus isn’t there because there’s not somebody keeping them on task.”
That said, Meunier said he wasn’t surprised by the funding cuts, and understands why the province madethem.
“This is a special situation that no one in recent memory has ever seen,” he said.
Associate principals eliminated
The April 6 update on the Pembina Hills website also states that, because of a new funding framework for the 2020-2021 school year, six associate principal positions are being eliminated.
Barrhead Composite High School, R.F. Staples Secondary School and Barrhead Elementary School are all losing one associate principal, while the single associate principal positions at Eleanor Hall School in Clyde, Pembina North Community School and Neerlandia Public Christian School are now being eliminated.
Tuininga noted that two of the current associate principals have been assigned to become the principals of the Hutterite Colony schools and of the division’s Early Learning programs.
Another will become the Special Education Co-ordinator at Eleanor Hall, while the other three will return to teaching positions.
Kevin Berger, TownandCountryToday.com
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