Over a hundred elementary teachers face layoffs in Waterloo Region

Some elementary school teachers in the region just starting out in their careers have been deemed surplus and now they’re facing layoffs.

In a statement to CityNews, the Waterloo Region District School Board said they will be laying off 106 elementary teaching staff. They said the staff impacted by it will be recalled into a position, which they are qualified for as per a collective agreement with the local Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, (ETFOWR) but it is unclear if or how many teachers will be brought back or what position they would be given if they are.

“While we continue to see a year-over-year increase in enrollment, based on our preliminary budgeting and staffing planning processes we are currently in a surplus situation with respect to the number of our elementary teaching staff. As a result, the decision has been made to lay off elementary teachers who have not yet received their permanent status, effective Monday, August 12, 2024,” Graham Shantz, their Associate Director, said in a statement.

“We know and understand that this is difficult news for the elementary educators who are impacted, and we are committed to supporting their well-being throughout this process, which includes resources that are available through the Employee and Family Assistance Program.”

Shantz said they are sharing the information ahead of the approval of the final budget process to comply with contractual obligations.

“We continue to follow the typical staffing and budgeting processes as we plan for the 2024-25 school year.”

The ETFOWR represents over 2,700 contract elementary teachers in the region, including the ones given pink slips.

In an interview with CityNews 570, the president Jeff Pelich said the biggest challenge was the delay in funding information from the province. WRDSB said they only found out on April 26 what that funding would look like, and they have to plan the budget for the upcoming school year.

“They continue to process that amount, but in the meantime, they have to get ready for September and they have to make decisions on how many staff that they have,” said Pelich.

“The school board is in a surplus position at this time so based on the information they currently have, there are more contract teachers than available positions they’ve had to essentially lay off about 107 teachers in advance of September to ensure that they can balance the budget.”

Pelich added that the union representing the local elementary teachers has been working with WRDSB human resources over the last few days to identify those surplus teachers and develop a process to see how many can be recalled by the end of this year.

“Many of these educators are first-year teachers within their first year of being in a school and they have established themselves in that school, embedded themselves into that community and when they find out they’ve been surplus even when they are recalled, it’s not a guarantee that they’re going to be back to that school or back to that position,” he said.

“It creates a lot of anxiety and fear but also sadness I think educators want to remain a part of that community and want to see those students grow and progress through the ages. Unfortunately, in this case, the board had to make a tough decision based on the lack of information from the government and that’s frustrating for everyone.”

Pelich added that WRDSB is in an interesting position this year, as they have gone the last three consecutive years with a deficit. Now in their fourth year, they have to balance the budget or risk the Ministry of Education appointing a supervisor.

In regards to a question CityNews 570 asked about whether or not WRDSB members will receive raises during this layoff process, Graham Shantz, the associate director of WRDSB replied in a statement, “No, WRDSB leadership did not receive a 25 per cent salary increase this year.”

The full statement is below.

“Looking at salaries from last year, we saw a retro-active pay catch up, and many staff members would have additional entitlements to payouts for unused sick leave or vacation days.

In accordance with the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, 1996, the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB), discloses the employees whose annual salaries exceed $100,000. While WRDSB is required to disclose salaries above $100,000, the details are still subject to confidentiality. This is true even after employees leave the board. Please note the Ministry of Education has oversight of executive compensation.

Please also note that funding for facilities and supplies and services for students are not impacted by salaries. WRDSB employee salaries and benefits are considered as part of the typical budgeting process and are funded through the Core Education Funding and Responsive Education Programs. Funding for school operation and maintenance (i.e. capital expenses) and supplies and services for students, such as transportation, textbooks and classroom supplies are separate funding allocations for operating and other purposes.

The current situation, resulting in layoffs, is the result of underfunding of classrooms by the Ministry of Education.”