New Westminster schools need education assistants working more hours to keep up with student needs.
That’s one of the messages being sent to School District 40 as part of budget feedback from parents and staff.
The New Westminster district parent advisory council (DPAC) is asking for increased total hours for education assistants (EAs) as one of its budget priorities for 2023/24.
DPAC chair Laura Kwong told trustees at their April 25 board meeting that the parent group has heard from families about students who should be getting regular one-on-one support but aren't, and from others whose students don't have individual education plans (IEPs) and therefore don't qualify for EA help.
"Too many students are without the support they need," she said in a report to trustees.
That message was echoed in a budget submission from CUPE Local 409, the union that represents school support staff, including EAs.
A letter from CUPE 409 president Dave Bollen noted classrooms have become “increasingly complex and diverse places of learning,” and the support required by many students has become more intensive over the past decade.
His letter pointed out that School District 40, along with many other districts in B.C., faces significant difficulties in filling EA positions.
“Improvements in hours would go a long way for achieving recruitment and retention to meet the demands in our district,” it said.
As it stands now, EAs are scheduled “bell to bell,” which doesn’t give them any time for preparation, Bollen said in the letter.
“To provide the quality of support to the students they work with, many EAs do extra tasks on their own time in an effort to ensure the students are successful,” he wrote. “The growing complexity of the job and the multiple skills required should be reflected in the wages they earn. Increased hours also provide whole jobs and better overall wages for EAs. This will also help with the retention and recruitment of EAs.”
Bollen told trustees that, through bargaining, the union was able to get hours for EAs at middle schools increased to 30 hours per week; now the union would like to see the same for all elementary school EAs.
Bringing up all elementary school EAs to a 30-hour week would come with a price tag of just over $350,000, he told the board.
Kristie Oxley, president of the New Westminster Teachers' Union, also added teachers' support for the proposal for more EAs, noting classroom teachers want to see vulnerable students getting the one-on-one support they need.
Budget presentations made at SD40 board meeting April 25
The New Westminster DPAC, CUPE Local 409, the New Westminster Teachers’ Union and the Principals and Vice-Principals Association all gave budget presentations to the board at the Tuesday night meeting, covering a wide range of priorities and requests including staffing, technology and student safety.
Background reports, agenda and meeting information can be found at the SD40 website.
📢 SOUND OFF: Do you think New West classrooms need more education assistants? What would you like to see the school board prioritize for its 2023/24 budget? How can it best meet the needs of New Westminster students? If you're a student, parent or staff member with ideas to share, send us a letter.
