The chair of the District Parent Advisory Council for School District 43 says parents shouldn't have to fundraise for essentials such as books and computers and Heidi Hass Gable is worried that chronic underfunding is having a long-term effect on schools.
Speaking to The News after digesting information that 142 positions would be cut from SD43's budget next year, including 78 teachers, and dozens of support workers, custodians, clerks and other jobs to eliminate a $12.1 deficit, Hass Gable said students will be OK in the short term, but chronic shortfalls will take a toll in the long run.
Staff burnout is one of her concerns because teachers and support workers will have to do more with less, and eventually, she said, that will filter down to students.
"Something has to give, it has to do, I have absolutely no doubt, that teachers, SEAs (Special Education Assistants) and everyone is going to be professional and working hard but people have limits. It's not sustainable to ask people to work 150% every day forever. People get sick, there's stress," Hass Gable said.
After hearing from parents through a new survey tool called Thoughtstream, Hass Gable said she fears proposed cuts are hitting areas that parents most value, such as support for special needs students and programs that ensure quality teachers have access to the latest professional development and learning tools.
She's worried that the gutting of the staff development department from 18 positions to six will eventually have an effect on the district's professional development programs and support for teachers.
"If you have one person who has an influence on 100 teachers, 100 teachers touch 2,000 to 3000 kids lives, that ripple effect could be really felt," she said.
"When changes come down, (from the Education Ministry) who's going to help them change their practices?" she asked.
DOWNLOADING
She's also worried that downloading is making parents responsible for fundraising for books, computers and buses for field trips that she says are necessary for learning.
She said it's not fair that some schools have more capacity for fundraising, and some individuals are better at grant writing than others, while some schools lag behind.
"Parents are paying for essentials and the inequity that creates is just horrible," Hass Gable said, and she calling for joint advocacy between educators, parents and administrators to ensure education funding is sustainable and equitable.
This year schools had to give back $1 million from their supplies and learning resources accounts budgets to help the district defray what could have been a $13 million deficit, if $5 million in cuts hadn't been made, starting in January.
One school, Rochester elementary, had to give back $3,000 destined for computers and learning resources, as part of its share.
Principal Barb Gillies said the money hadn't yet been earmarked but it will be missed. "What we did is we looked at how much we were expected to give back and we looked at accounts where it would have the least impact on students," Gillies said.
The next board of education meeting is this Tuesday, April 30 at 7:30 in the gym at Winslow Centre and the budget is expected to be a topic of discussion.
