HWDSB Announces School Staffing Reductions for the 2019-20 School Year
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board issued its school-based staffing allocation for the 2019-20 school year in a report that will be presented to the Trustees at the Finance and Facilities Committee today at 5:30 p.m. at the Education Centre.
Trustees will review the report and make a recommendation that currently shows 4,529.66 positions for the elementary and secondary panels – a decrease of 136.16 positions from the current school year.
“Trustees are extremely disappointed in the direction and the cuts imposed on our Board by the Ford government, which jeopardizes our education system and staffing allocations,” said Alex Johnstone, Chair of the Board. “We will not let any job go without exhausting every opportunity to retain our current levels of service for our students, especially our most vulnerable populations.”
The Trustees are engaged in the budget development process and must review staffing allocations in order to meet collective agreement timelines.
“The reductions in staffing allocation is the greatest challenge facing HWDSB at this time,” said Johnstone.
School-based staffing that includes elementary and secondary teachers, school administration, early childhood educators, educational assistants and school custodians for 2019-20 are detailed in the Finance & Facilities report, which can be found on the HWDSB website or accessed at the following link: https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/about/trustees/meetings/.
Staffing changes are related to the elimination of Local Priorities Funding as of August 31, 2019, uncertainty of EPO (Education Programs – Other) grants, school closures and new school openings, changes in enrolment, changes in class size funding, and a projected decrease in overall funding.
“Trustees do not take these changes lightly,” said Johnstone. “We will be asking tough questions and looking at every opportunity to protect jobs and meeting our local student needs.”
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Background:
The report to the Finance & Facilities Committee is available on HWDSB’s website at https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/about/trustees/meetings/. The report outlines more details about the 2019-20 staffing allocation at this stage of the budget development process.
School-based Staffing:
| 2019-2020 School Based Staffing | 2018-2019 School Based Staffing | Increase (Decrease) |
|
| Elementary Teachers | 2,067.00 | 2,069.30 | (2.30) |
| Secondary Teachers | 891.16 | 970.77 | (79.61) |
| Early Childhood Educators | 265.00 | 260.00 | 5 |
| Educational Assistants | 603.00 | 626.00 | (23.00) |
| Principals | 96.00 | 98.00 | (2.00) |
| Vice-Principals | 64.00 | 66.50 | (2.50) |
| School Office Administration | 192.50 | 205.50 | (13.00) |
| School Custodial | 351.00 | 369.75 | (18.75) |
| TOTAL | 4,529.66 |
4,665.82 |
(136.16) |
Media Contact:
Shawn McKillop, APR
Manager, Communications and Community Engagement
T: 905.527.5092 x2941| C: 905.515.6227
[email protected]
Updated on Friday, September 24, 2021.