N.B. school districts ordered to ‘redirect’ budgets, resulting in library worker layoffs

The Anglophone West School District in New Brunswick has sent out dozens of layoff letters.

An order from the Holt government for New Brunswick’s seven school districts to “redirect” budgets has resulted in layoff notices this week, with the potential for more to come.

Anglophone School District West confirms a total of 69 layoff letters were sent on Monday to:

• 32 library workers
• 19 education assistants
• 10 administrative assistants
• seven district administrative support staff members
• one student attendant

Theresa McAllister, president of CUPE Local 2745 Educational Support Staff, said she first learned about the possibility of job cuts shortly before layoff letters began going out.

McAllister said she expected other school districts to have conversations with staff on Thursday and Friday.

“I’m hoping the axe isn’t going to fall, but there’s no guarantee it won’t,” said McAllister. “We are holding our breath and hoping we won’t be hit, because usually when there’s cutbacks it seems to be our group that is hit.”

Altogether, the province’s seven school districts have been called on by the province to “redirect $43 million from district budgets back into classrooms.”

Anglophone School District West said the elimination of library hours would amount to 6.7 per cent of the $9.26 million it’s been asked by the province to recoup.

Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Claire Johnson said the directive to districts was a push to prioritize money for literacy and numeracy skills.

“What we want to do is to make sure the resources are supporting the students, teaching the students the science of reading. And that happens in the classroom with certified teachers,” said Johnson. “With academic support teachers, with those who have a specialization in literacy. That’s where we want the resources to be, because we know that’s how students learn to read.”

This year’s provincial budget added $85 million to the education department’s total $1.6 billion budget.

Johnson said the doors to school libraries would remain open, adding that decisions made by school districts to find $43 million in savings wouldn’t necessarily result in layoff notices across the board.

“This is part of decentralizing decision making,” said Johnson. “We’re letting the districts decide what’s best for them. Does that mean it’s going to be a job cut? Maybe in some cases yes. Maybe in some cases no. And that’s part of this relationship that we’re developing with the districts in helping them achieve their goals.”

Green Party Leader David Coon said school districts were being forced to make up for the provincial government’s budget shortfall.

“(The districts) get to make the decision but it’s not their choice that they have to make these cuts to free up space for promises the premier made during the election campaign,” said Coon. “I shudder to think about what other cuts they’ll be forced to make.”

McAllister said the lay off notices would impact students directly.

“It’s not just the teachers who work with these kids,” said McAllister. “The library workers work directly with those kids, the EAs work directly with the kids, the school secretaries work directly with the kids. They are an integral part of that child’s everyday life.”

Anglophone School District West said workers who received a layoff notice this week would have an opportunity to apply for 189 vacancies within the district, adding that some who received a layoff notice hold another position in a different classification.

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