Latest news with #schoolcuts
CBS News
14 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
SEIU Local 1, hundreds of custodians to rally against CPS cuts outside South Loop school
Hundreds of custodians will be rallying against Chicago public schools' recent cuts in the South Loop on Monday morning. SEIU Local 1, the union representing custodians, will be outside Jones Commercial College Prep in the Printers Row neighborhood. The rally comes as thousands of CPS students head back to the classrooms. The union said the recent layoffs have left schools understaffed, which is jeopardizing the cleanliness, health, and safety of the students and staff. Earlier this month, CPS announced that it had cut ties with private custodial contractors to help with its budget gap—leaving 1,200 custodians without work. However, they said they are planning to rehire 750 of those custodians directly as district staffers. The district also laid off about 250 lunchroom workers and 100 crossing guards during the summer.
CBS News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Armstrong School District cuts 9 teacher positions
When the new school year starts in August, the Armstrong School District will have fewer teachers and one fewer registered nurse. The job cuts were announced after a vote by the school board on Monday "Our students deserve better than cuts and furloughs," Kevan Landstrom, Armstrong Education Association president and teacher, said. Despite strong pushback from the community, nine teachers and a nurse are out of a job after the board voted to eliminate their positions. "Our community lost some great educators. We are devastated to lose these people — qualified staff, friends and colleagues," Landstrom said. The board president says it was the best compromise they could reach to pass the budget for the coming school year. "We were attempting to do what's most fiscally responsible for both taxpayers and our stakeholders, as well as limiting the impact on the students," board president Jason Elkin said. The crowd of more than 100 teachers at Monday night's meeting, holding signs that read "no cuts," wholeheartedly disagree with Elkin. They emphatically believe the decision to furlough will directly hurt the students. Not only is the district losing educators, but the cuts will impact the high school library and wipe out the French department. "Both Kelly and I have library K through 12 and instructional technology certificates. We are not simply people who are checking books in and out for students," librarian Barb Meleason said. "The lasting effects of removing certified librarians will be much more far-reaching and will affect the entire community, including test scores." Also at Monday night's meeting, the board voted down a tax increase.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Burnaby teachers urging province to provide more funding; district facing $4.2M budget shortfall
The Burnaby Teachers' Association is sounding the alarm on the need for more funding, as the school district cuts band programs, high school counsellors and custodian positions due to a $4.2-million budget shortfall. Alex Peters, president of the association, says daytime custodial positions at elementary schools will now move to an on-call basis only, and she is concerned for students' safety. 'So, there's going to be broken glass from broken windows. It could be things like sharps on the playground, those sorts of things,' explains Peters. She says the province has failed to deliver on its promise to provide a mental health counsellor in every school, and she is worried for the wellbeing of teachers. 'The stress of teachers knowing they're not meeting the needs of the students in their class, they don't have the ability to provide what they know that their students need, that's just terrible,' Peters says. The cuts also include three full-time counsellors in secondary schools, the Grade 7 brand program and a phasing out of the Mandarin language arts program. Kristin Schnider, chair of the Burnaby School Board, says there is only so much the board can do without more provincial funding. Schnider says population growth has led to overcrowding in schools, which is what the board's budget has been forced to address. 'Over the last seven years, we've spent $75 million on portables, dollars that could have been spent in the classroom supporting teachers, but most importantly supporting kids,' says Schnider. Education Minister Lisa Beare declined an interview request from CTV News. In a statement, she said the government is 'committed to prioritizing education.' 'Next year, we're projecting the highest education funding ever – over $8.2 billion. That's almost 60 per cent more since 2017,' says Beare. 'There's no question we are facing significant pressure – from global labour shortages, political and economic uncertainty to tariff threats.' Schnider says the increase in funding since 2017 doesn't go far enough to address previous years' rapid inflation and the growing needs of the district. 'While I appreciate the efforts of the current government, we really need to step it up to increase the amount that the provincial government allocates to education,' says Schnider. It's a concern being felt across districts. A survey from the B.C. Teachers' Federation found one in six teachers says their school has no mental health counsellor and educators are burning out. 'Lots of teachers in their first five years are leaving their profession because it's just such a hard environment,' says Peters.
