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Unions push School District 40 to improve work for EAs

More education assistants and full-time working hours would help New Westminster schools, unions say.
Julie MacLellan
Julie MacLellan
Students in full school classroom
New Westminster students would benefit from more EAs, say SD40's unions – and those education assistants would benefit from longer working hours.lisegagne/E+/Getty Images

Education assistants in New Westminster schools should have full-time hours, says the union representing support staff.

Dave Bollen, president of CUPE Local 409, made that pitch to trustees during a budget presentation at the school board meeting April 26.

“Education assistants should be full-time, just like everyone else in the school system, period,” he said.

Bollen said education assistants (EAs) may find themselves supporting up to seven or eight students at a time, yet they’re only paid to work “bell to bell” rather than full-time hours.

Many, he said, take on a second part-time job simply to earn enough to support their families.

In a written submission to the board, the union noted School District 40 – along with many other B.C. school districts – has trouble recruiting and retaining EAs.

“Improvements in hours would go a long way for achieving recruitment and retention to meet the demands in our district,” the submission said.

It also noted many EAs resort to doing extra tasks on their own time to ensure their students are properly supported.

“The growing complexity of the job and the multiple skills required should be reflected in the salaries they earn. Increased hours also provide whole jobs and better overall wages for EAs,” the union wrote. “This will also help with the retention and recruitment of EAs.”

The New Westminster Teachers’ Union threw its support behind CUPE.

A submission from NWTU president Sarah Wethered said the chronic shortage of EAs means resource teachers and learning support teachers are sometimes pulled from their own jobs to fill in for EA absences, which ultimately results in less support for all students.

“With increasingly complex learners in our classrooms, there is a need for more education assistants,” the submission said.

The school board heard budget submissions from stakeholders, along with holding one-on-one consultation meetings, as part of its 2022/23 budget process.

Superintendent Karim Hachlaf will bring budget recommendations to the board at its May 10 operations committee meeting.

Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, [email protected].