The union representing York Region District School Board (YRDSB) education workers say nearly 250 positions are being eliminated for the upcoming school year.
In a statement to CityNews, CUPE 1734 said they were initially told 171 education workers were being laid off.
However, they say they have now been informed that almost 201 education assistant-related positions are being eliminated along with 36 secretarial/administrative positions, six information technology positions and six library technician positions.
“We are still struggling to get clear answers from the employer about the true scope of these cuts and displacements,” read the statement from union president Michelle Campbell.
The union added that another 135 members may be displaced from their current school, and secretaries have been told their hours are being cut in half.
In response, the YRDSB said enrollment across the province has declined over the last two years and is expected to continue to decline.
They say the board made no CUPE staffing adjustments for the 2025-2026 school year when there was an unexpected enrolment reduction of 1,500, and they will not have enough student enrolment relative to the number of permanent staff for the 2026-2027 school year.
“While there may be a small percentage of staff members who cannot be placed next school year, we are working to place as many staff as possible into positions that are or may become available through attrition, at alternate school locations and filling longer-term leaves.”
YRDSB did not provide any specific details on how many positions will be eliminated.
The union says this will especially affect students with exceptionalities. In one school with three classrooms for these students, the union says they have been told six of the nine education assistants are being laid off or redeployed.
“The board is actively displacing senior, highly experienced frontline education workers from specialized programs. Instead of respecting long-standing seniority principles and the value of frontline experience, workers who have spent years building relationships, stability, and trust with vulnerable students are being pushed out,” read the union’s statement.
“The students in these programs depend on consistency, trust, familiar adults, and staff who understand their communication needs, medical needs, behavioural triggers, safety plans, and learning styles.”
CUPE said they are standing together to support affected staff, demand transparency from their employer and make sure the public understands what these cuts will look like inside schools.
Add CityNews Toronto as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.
