N.S. teachers union fighting possible cuts

School boards around Nova Scotia are facing budget cuts this year, and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union is fighting back.

The province announced school boards would face an average budget cut of 1.3 per cent.

The teachers union has launched a TV and online campaign pressuring the provincial government to rethink the cuts.

Education Minister Ramona Jennex announced earlier this month that Nova Scotia's eight school boards will see their funding cut for the second year in a row — by $13.4 million in the 2012-13 fiscal year.

The cuts for each regional school board vary slightly based on declining enrolment; the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board is grappling with a reduction of 2.1 per cent. That would mean a loss of $2.8 million.

In Halifax, it's a drop of $3.2 million and the board is also expected to lose $5 million to $7 million in inflationary costs.

That leaves the HRSB bracing for a potential $10.2 million budget shortfall.

"We've received our preliminary budget figures this year and we are again faced with a funding reduction," said Carole Olsen, Halifax Regional School Board superintendent, in a video emailed to staff.

No teachers were laid off in Nova Scotia last year — 14 teachers managed to avoid layoffs after they presented their cases to the board.

Union president Alexis Allen said she fears the worst this time around, especially for boards facing deeper cuts.

"Cape Breton has no terms, no term positions left. It will mean layoffs of permanent teachers unless things change," Allen told CBC News.