34 elementary teachers to get notices they're being laid off by HWDSB

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board is laying off 34 elementary teachers and has put another 100 on notice that their jobs will be made redundant after the spring break.

In a notice to staff, HWDSB's director of education, Manny Figueiredo said the board has seen setbacks related to enrolment loss and additional costs attributed to the COVID-19 response. 

At the same time, he said the Ministry of Education has informed HWDSB that there will be no additional or stabilization funding to support the board into the new school year. 

"Today, we are regrettably informing 34 elementary teachers who work within system roles that they are surplus," Figueiredo wrote in the notice.  

"Following the spring break, we will be informing a further 100 staff — primarily elementary teachers, early childhood educators, and staff impacted by school closures, that their roles are redundant."

According to Figueiredo, trustees and senior staff have been meeting at the Finance & Facilities Committee to work through the budget since March.

He said that, as in previous years, the budget planning and development process will move forward with a focus on supporting student achievement and well-being.

Shawn McKillop, manager of communications and community engagement at HWDSB said this year's drop in enrolment was due to more kids opting for homeschooling. 

Lower staffing levels due to significant decline in enrolment

Meanwhile, Dawn Danko, chair of the board, said among the many challenges of the pandemic, the last thing that trustees want to do is make decisions that will cause additional anxiety for staff. 

But she said, unfortunately, the board must meet its collective agreement staffing timelines without funding information from the Ministry of Education. 

"Lower staffing levels is the result of a significant decline in enrolment, attributed to COVID-19 related factors," she said. 

"These staff are vital members of the HWDSB family, and we are sorry that we must take this step during an already uncertain time.

"The Grants for Student Needs (GSNs), which are our funding information from the Ministry of Education, are expected by the middle of April. We hope to reinstate as many of these positions as we can, if not for September, when we can rebound from this enrolment decline post-pandemic." 

Yet another harm inflicted on teachers, union says

Meanwhile, Jeff Sorensen, president Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local, says this is yet another harm inflicted on teachers by the provincial government of Doug Ford. 

"This is the result of inadequate funding in a pandemic," Sorensen wrote in an email to CBC News.

"Our teachers are not only suffering, along with everyone else, on the front lines of the pandemic, but now they are being laid off and put in the unemployment line. These teachers will lose their paid sick days, as well as all of their health benefits. All this during a medical crisis."

Sorensen said the provincial government needs to invest in education and it starts with keeping teachers on the job during the pandemic.

"What we hear is,  'Thank-you teachers for putting your lives and your families' lives at risk.  Thank-you for pivoting multiple times between remote and in-person teaching. Thanks for putting up with health protocols less strict than the local gas station. By the way you're out of a job,'" he said.