School division fears for at-risk kids

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This article was published 04/07/2015 (3217 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The jobs of almost three dozen community-support workers helping the Winnipeg School Division’s most challenged families are in jeopardy.

The division insists provincial grants funding the 35 community-support workers have been frozen for years, and as their wages and benefits grow, trustees must choose between reducing the workforce or increasing property taxes to pay them, said school board chairman Mark Wasyliw.

“We will either have to supplement the funding with taxpayer dollars or have staff reductions,” said Wasyliw, who said the community-support workers help students of families living in severe poverty, especially families of indigenous students.

‘When it comes to supporting vulnerable or at-risk youth, every single hour counts’

But Education Minister James Allum insists the province has increased its grants for the program and is emphatic the division has the cash to pay the workers.

“The funding provided by the province for community-support workers is part of the general Community Schools Program funding. This funding was not frozen for the Winnipeg School Division,” Allum said by email.

“In fact, for the 2014-15 school year, the WSD received an additional $45,000 to help support the Community School Program, bringing the total WSD amount to $925,000 for the school year,” said Allum, pointing out the WSD receives 44 per cent of the total provincial funding for community-support workers in the public schools.

But the people on the front lines say the money isn’t there.

“They work with the community, in the schools. It’s not limited to aboriginal families,” said Rob Riel, director of aboriginal education and newcomer services.

They’re paid $49,900 a year, said Riel, and some of them “in their home countries were doctors, lawyers, engineers.”

“There’s no turnover — they’re important and respected,” Riel said. “You could always use more — not every school has them.”

They work in the school family room, help parents with literacy, head the reading programs and help in the library.

“This would significantly reduce important contact time between the school system and vulnerable youth and their families,” Winnipeg Labour Council president Dave Sauer said. “When it comes to supporting vulnerable or at-risk youth, every single hour counts.”

Wasyliw said the division had planned cuts for this September, but has managed to fund all 35 positions for one more year.

Said Sauer: “While this is good news, it is unclear if the funding will be available in the future.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees has been lobbying to save the jobs, said union communications representative David Jacks.

“While CUPE was recently reassured that cuts for the upcoming school year will no longer be implemented, the future of the positions remains unclear.

“The idea that the only resolve to this issue is either tax increases or job cuts does not do the issue justice. In the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report, we need to have real conversations on long-term, stable funding for programs and workers who support aboriginal and at-risk youth,” Jacks said.

“The aboriginal youth demographic is the fastest-growing in the division, along with newcomer and refugee youth, the needs of the student body are rapidly changing, and inter-cultural supports are key to helping address the serious challenges many of these students face — from language barriers to poverty,” Jacks said.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca