With another strike deadline set by the union representing education support workers in Ontario, the main publicly funded school boards in the region are preparing for another shift to online learning.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees announced Wednesday that talks with the province had broken down once again. Bargaining team president Laura Walton said while the two sides were able to reach a middle-ground on wages, the main sticking point now is funding to give students the type of learning environment they need, including guarantees of higher staffing levels for educational assistants, librarians, custodians and secretaries, and an early childhood educator in every kindergarten classroom.
Officials with both the Lambton Kent and St Clair Catholic District School Boards say they’ll be unable to safely operate schools if CUPE members walk off the job on Monday.
Notices were sent to parents yesterday afternoon asking that students bring home any necessary learning materials after school today, since tomorrow is a PD day, and devices will be handed out as soon as possible to students who need them. Asynchronous learning will begin on Monday, followed by a shift to synchronous teacher-lead online classes Tuesday (SCCDSB) or Wednesday (LKDSB,) depending on the board.
The union representing 55,000 school support staff, including education assistants, early childhood educators, administrative staff, custodians, and other non-teaching positions, says they remain committed to reaching a fair deal before potential job action on November 21st.