Lethbridge School Division Superintendent Cheryl Gilmore. (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet / David Opinko

Lethbridge School Division cancels layoff notices for 120 employees

Apr 8, 2020 | 9:19 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – It’s good news for some staff at the Lethbridge School Division (LSD).

Superintendent Cheryl Gilmore says they had a lot to do after learning last month that $1.5-million was being taken out of their budget.

“It really filled my bucket to be able to have all of the final numbers put through our finance department and know and understand that we’re able to bring back 120 of the 400 individuals that we gave temporary layoff notices too.

READ MORE: Lethbridge School Division faces $1.5-million funding cut, layoffs announced

Among those who will stay on the job include a combined 104 educational assistants and advanced education support staff, as well as Nations Metis and Inuit liaisons and a group of administrative support professionals.

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“We know that our students with the most complex needs and the ones who need that support structure in place to connect with home, even though the staff will be at the school site, sort of that connection using technology or other means is really important for those students, so I feel relieved that those positions are in place,” says Gilmore.

LSD was able to make this happen because of three different things.

Board Chair Clark Bosch told LNN in late March that they were told by the provincial government to cut 14 per cent from their instructional budget and 51 per cent from transportation.

Since then, Gilmore says the instructional component was relaxed to a 12 per cent reduction.

As well, the school board was able to find some savings due to not needing to pay into EI or CPP for their staff for the time being.

The final change was that, under the Program Unit Fund (PUF), LSD would normally have to pay back any leftover amounts. This time, however, the Ministry of Education has allowed school divisions to keep that money and use it as they please.

Thanks to these three changes, Gilmore says they did not have to touch their reserve funds. They already had to take $3-million out of it last fall after the United Conservative Party introduced their first budget.

Layoff notices remain in effect for 300 other employees throughout the Division. This includes some education assistants and advanced education support staff, learning commons facilitators, career practitioners, and some administrative support professionals.

Those notices are effective on April 30, 2020.

Gilmore noted that the move to learning at home for students has been going well.

“Our staff has been incredibly flexible, committed and are continuing with what needs to get done to serve students in an entirely different context. I am incredibly proud of the work that is being done across the Division,” she said.

Reserves are also being built into the 2020/2021 draft budget, to help maintain as many employees as possible for the 2020/2021 school year.