Non-teaching positions cut at Ottawa-Carleton District School Board

Dozens of non-teaching positions at the OCDSB were being cut Tuesday as the board faces budget pressures and declining enrolment. Photo by ERROL MCGIHON /POSTMEDIA

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Non-teaching positions are being cut at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board as the district grapples with a budget deficit and declining enrolment numbers next year.

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As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, unions confirmed that at least 97 positions have been cut.

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Because of a number of vacancies, 69 unionized employees will be laid off as of Aug. 31.

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Melodie Gondek, the president of the office, clerical and technician employees unit, confirmed that an number of central positions had been declared surplus or redundant, resulting in a net loss of 48 jobs. The unit is represented by District 25 of the Ontario Second School Teachers’ Federation.

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“While a small number of new roles are proposed, they largely consolidate existing work,” said Gondek. “The overall impact is significant downsizing driven by chronic government underfunding of staff and services required to keep the OCDSB functioning.”

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The cuts build on last year’s attrition program to balance the budget and reflect ongoing underfunding since 2018, said Gondek.

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“Beyond service reductions, we are losing critical institutional knowledge and professional expertise.”

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Another 49 plant support positions are being cut, said Philip Battison, president of the bargaining plant support unit.

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Plant support positions include custodial, skilled trades and cafeteria jobs. Battison said he is expecting letters to go out to workers Tuesday and Wednesday, and can’t be more specific until his members have more information. However, about 15 of the positions are currently vacant and the cuts will come into effect in September.

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Battison said he has been in talks with Bob Plamondon, the supervisor appointed by the province, since last July. In the past two weeks, he said he has proposed many cost-saving ideas.

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The cuts present about five per cent of the plant support unit’s 730 members, said Battison.

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“There is nowhere left to cut. I hear from workers every day that they’re exhausted. There are injuries every day because of the physical nature of the job,” he said.

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Chris Walsh, the president of the bargaining unit that represents education assistants and early childhood educators said official numbers for the unit have not yet been officially provided.

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“I do expect a reduction to our early childhood education complement as the numbers are tied directly to enrolment,” said Walsh. “My understanding that kindergarten enrolment is down, which will result in a loss of classes across the district. At this point, I do not anticipate any cuts to our (approximately) 853 education assistants.”

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Corinne Lassaline, president of the Professional Student Service Personnel bargaining unit, which represents paraprofessionals such as social workers, speech and language pathologists and occupational therapists, said there will be no job cuts in the unit this time. But there are two more months to go before the end of the school year, she said.