Local boards analyzing effects of government cuts to education

Administrators from Windsor’s two English-language school boards are still assessing the effects of funding cuts to educational programs announced late Friday by the Doug Ford government. “We’re still reviewing the documents,” said Scott Scantlebury, spokesman for the Greater Essex County District School Board. “It’s a very complex series of documents.”

Scantlebury said Erin Kelly, the school board’s director of education, was sending out a statement to staff by the end of the school day Monday.

“It’s just a general message to all staff,” Scantlebury said.

He said staff affected by programming cuts will be notified “as soon as possible. We’re looking into the details of whose programs are affected or impacted by the reductions. People need to be informed. Any staff that may be impacted, they are our first responsibility.” The Ministry of Education announced it was slashing $25 million in funding from the Education Programs — Other fund.

The cuts will affect each of the province’s 72 boards differently since boards don’t all provide the same programs under the EPO fund.

Other media reports have indicated tutors and leadership programming will be cut. Scantlebury said a number of variables could influence the effect on the public board. “There may be some that are cut or cancelled and some may be in reduced form and transformed in some way,” he said. “Some of this isn’t going to shake down until we do our budget for 2019-20 in the spring.”

Scantlebury said the board could

There may be some that are cut or cancelled and some may be in reduced form and transformed in some way.

also opt to fund a program that lost its EPO backing.

“We could determine it’s a priority and we’re going to do it,” he said. Spokesman Stephen Fields said the Windsor Essex Catholic School Board was still analyzing the announcement’s effect on local programming.

Fields said Monday there were no immediate plans to put out a statement.