Grande Prairie schools to feel effects of province’s education cut to fund COVID-19 response

He says they had found work for most support staff, and they will now have to rethink their home learning plans and consider how to move forward with less funding.

The release sent out by the province says that teachers and most other aspects of the Kindergarten through Grade 12 system are being maintained, but funding for services not being utilized for at-home learning, such as transportation, substitute teachers, and educational assistants is being temporarily reduced. However, Germann says they’ve already cut these services on a local level.

“Prior to the province’s announcement, we had already issued a record of employment to our substitute teachers because we made a determination that they wouldn’t be needed. We would be able to do some internal coverage even though it was at home learning, we could reallocate staff to different areas.

“In terms of our bus drivers, we had already made an agreement to pay less, so there would be some base costs that they would still have to pay for, but after that, there would actually be less costs that we would actually have to assume. So we had just finished that agreement as well.”

Germann adds they had been using buses to do food deliveries, but have since transitioned to using district vehicles and staff, so the buses and drivers were no longer needed.

He says while those two services have been dealt with, it will be the support staff who remain in the schools that will be impacted by these cuts.

Germann also says temporary staff layoffs may become an issue for school division, especially under the current legislation and whether the staff is unionized.

“In non-unionized staff, you can only lay off for 60 days, after that you have to terminate the staff, according to the Provincial Legislation. In the unionized environment, it’s going to depend on the Collective Agreement, but often you can lay off, and the lay off can occur for a longer period of time.”

While the schools are closed, Germann says they are taking the opportunity to hire people and contractors, in order to do maintenance and upkeep that would usually be limited to a brief two-month window in the summer.

Germann says when the school year resumes in the fall, he hopes to have regular funding once again, especially for mental health services and supports, which will be needed following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There certainly will be a need for reconnection for relationships, and we also believe that there will be a higher need for mental health support for families and for kids. Once they come out of this, it will be a significant event that will play into the lives of families for several months or a year, and we need to make sure that we’re there, supporting those families.”

In the meantime, Germann says there are services and supports for mental health available for students and families that can be accessed online, and he hopes to see people reach out when in need.

“That can be accessed by contacting the school, or their teacher can provide them with some help and assistance as they’re doing that as well. And we’ve put it on our At-Home Learning page, the contact information. So families shouldn’t feel awkward about contacting people for support, because this is a whole new world for families, and we’ve talked to our agencies and they’re willing to support families in a variety of different needs.”

He says the Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools are doing what they can to provide at-home learning to students, while also offering the supports families need during this pandemic.

Though the announcement was made on Saturday, no specific details have been agreed upon. Alberta Education held a conference call with the school boards on Monday, and the boards asked for more details on how much each division would be losing through this redistribution.

In the meantime, Germann says the school divisions across Alberta are working to determine what services are essential for at-home learning, as well as maintaining an open line of communication between teachers, students and families.

On Monday, prior to the conference call, the Superintendent of the Grande Prairie Public School Division, Sandy MacDonald, sent out a written statement, saying he could not comment on the announcement until additional information was provided. He writes that the school board and administration would work to identify what the announcement means for the division once more information is available.

On Tuesday, the Superintendent of the Peace Wapiti Public School Division, Bob Stewart, sent out a written statement. He says during the conference call, the school boards asked for more further clarification on details before moving forward. Once those questions are answered, they will begin work with affected staff, and release more information to the public.

Germann says the Province will be releasing those figures in the coming days, which will provide more insight on exactly how each school division will be impacted.

by Liam Verster

Grande Prairie schools to feel effects of province’s education cut to fund COVID-19 response

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