No layoffs for Lethbridge School District

There have been no layoffs within the Lethbridge public school system, a spokesperson said Friday.

Speaking earlier this week, Lethbridge West MLA Shannon Phillips listed job cuts in the local system along with other layoffs and cuts in response to the United Conservative government’s recent budget.

“The division has not laid off any employees this year due to budgetary concerns,” said Lethbridge School District communication officer Garrett Simmons.

Asked for clarification, a representative for Phillips said job cuts were included in the school board budget approved in October, following release of the new provincial government’s first budget. They were specified as “loss of positions” in the budget, which also indicated a $2.9-million shortfall.

Speaking at a session of the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs, Phillips said both the public and Catholic schools are taking a hit, while Lethbridge jobs have also been lost at the University of Lethbridge and Alberta Agriculture’s research labs at the federal research station.