At last night’s SD52 Board of Trustees meeting the budget for 2022-23 was approved. This budget includes major cuts to programs that directly support student learning. Once again, the Board of Trustees approved a budget that prioritizes indirect, non-instructional, programs at the expense of core educational programs for students. The PRDTU opposes this shift.
The Board of Trustees was late in adopting its budget. This will result in the School District having to surplus and layoff teachers after the May 31st deadline for surplus notices.
The PRDTU warned both senior management and the Board of Trustees of SD52’s contractual obligation to provide sufficient notice of any layoffs. We also advised SD52 to prioritize direct supports for students and core educational programs. We do not control how the Board of Trustees conducts its business and we do not control management decisions.
Members will receive layoff notices past the May 31st deadline. The PRDTU understands that this possibility creates stress for our members. We will do everything in our power to ensure that our Collective Agreement is followed. No teacher layoffs should be effective in September. According to the Collective Agreement, the next window for layoffs to become effective is after the end of a term or Winter Break – not in September.
If the School District attempts to violate its obligation to members and provides notices for layoffs to be effective in September, the PRDTU will file a grievance. We can also seek an expedited process to speed up the process and reduce uncertainly. Working through the grievance process on this matter is a priority for the PRDTU and we have already begun internal supports by the BCTF on the potential issue.