Support staff bore the brunt of cuts when school district budgets were tight, according to their union, and now they’re hoping the Richmond School District will restore some funding to their members.
The school district is preparing its 2019/20 budget and has been seeking feedback on proposed spending. At the April board of education meeting, CUPE’s president and vice-president said they had hoped more funding would come for support workers.
Ian Hillman, president of CUPE Loc. 716 that represents support staff in the Richmond School District, pointed out that the number of custodians and groundskeepers have been reduced over the years or haven’t been replaced on retirement.
“Increasing staffing in custodial and grounds departments will enhance the appearance, cleanliness and safety of our schools,” Hillman told the board.
In addition, school district trades are understaffed, and work orders can take up to a year, Hillman said.
CUPE vice-president Stacey Robinson asked for increased hours for clerical staff and educational assistants (EAs).
“With only 32 hours worth of wages per week, many (EAs) have taken on part-time jobs to supplement their income to attain a decent living wage,” Robinson said.
Increasing their hours would mean they could put more time into the classroom, she added.
Violence towards EAs should be a focus of the school district, Robinson said, adding that “low pay and dangerous working conditions” are two reasons why there’s a shortage of educational assistants in the school district. She asked the board of education to increase their hours to 35 per week.
Robinson also appealed to the school board to pay clerical staff in schools for 40 hours per week, up from the 35 hours they are currently paid.
“When talking to our members who work in clerical positions, they all say they work 40 hours already but are only paid for 35,” she said. “They currently miss breaks, take shorter lunches and work extra unpaid time.”
The Richmond School District is expecting a $1 million surplus at the end of the 2018/19 school year, thanks to an employee health tax grant and other savings and grants.
The school district also has $8.6 million in unrestricted funding and about $50 million in capital reserves.
The draft budget includes some requests for multi-year funding items and some one-year funding requests.
The 2019/20 budget for the Richmond School District is projected to be about $201 million with a net surplus of $1.8 million.
