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TDSB scrambles to save 430 jobs by retraining education assistants as early childhood educators,

Toronto trustees have put off a decision to cut 430 education assistant jobs as school board administrators work behind-the-scenes to help secure a retraining program so they can become early childhood educators and work in full-day kindergarten classrooms.

Trustees were told at a special meeting Wednesday night that the Toronto District School Board, education ministry, CUPE and Humber College are working on a plan to help the education assistants earn early childhood education diplo- mas and transfer into full-day kindergarten classrooms, where they would be working alongside teachers. They would be working in fullday kindergarten programs in an apprentice-type training, while attending classes at Humber for two years. “We’re helping our employees transform themselves into jobs that are current,” said board chair Chris Bolton. “The idea is to support our employees. That’s a lot of employees to let go.”

The board had considered cuts to the assistants — who currently help out in kindergarten classrooms but also other grades — given they are largely unfunded by the province, whereas the early childhood educators are for full-day kindergarten.

Trustees approved a host of other staff cutbacks at the meeting, though they did vote down a plan to cut 39 elementary vice-principals for a savings of $4.4 million. At the end of the meeting, they voted to cut 17 elementary viceprincipals for a savings of almost $2 million. Trustee Shelley Laskin warned that the board would have to find the savings elsewhere. Until the Ontario budget came down last week, board officials had expected a deficit of $85 million, and staff had recommended $51 million in cuts to jobs for which the province does not provide funding and also to teaching positions at high school, where student numbers are decreasing. But certain unexpected cuts to funding contained in last week’s budget could raise the board’s budget shortfall by another $25 million, according to an early analysis circulated among staff. Union officials have slammed the proposed cuts to the jobs of 430 education assistants, 134 school secretaries, 200 high school teachers and 39 elementary vice-principals, 10 caretaking positions and six school-based safety monitors, among others. But some trustees noted the total number of jobs lost would be only about 150 because the board is hiring more than 400 early childhood educators for full-day kindergarten and expects to need 215 more elementary teachers owing to rising enrolment. Boards are required by the Ontario government to balance their budgets or risk being taken over by a provincial supervisor, something that happened to the Toronto board in 2002. With files from Louise Brown