MEDIA ADVISORY: “Ontario’s school boards are in severe crisis”: Survey of 12,000 CUPE education workers finds extreme underfunding and understaffing has caused widespread violence, burnout and lack of supports for students in London-area schools

Event Information

Begins: 29 January 2025
Location: London, ON

LONDON, ON –(COMMUNITYWIRE)– A recent survey of Ontario education workers including Educational Assistants, Early Childhood Educators, Child and Youth workers, custodians, maintenance and trades workers, and school secretaries represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) shows that a severe crisis in underfunding has led to extreme understaffing, students needs going unmet, and increased violence in the Thames Valley District and London District Catholic school boards.

The CUPE-OSBCU survey points to a crisis of understaffing in all classifications, causing insufficient supports for students and staff in schools and the broader London community. School offices are overburdened by increasing demands, school cleaning suffers, and repairs are delayed or go undone. Many education workers at the two school boards say they face violent incidents on a daily basis.

Read the full CUPE-OSBCU Services Survey report for the London-area. 

This school year alone, the Thames Valley DSB has faced a minimum of a $93 million cut by the Conservative government to real per-pupil funding and London District Catholic School Board has faced a real per-pupil cut of $31 million.

The OSBCU represents more than 57,000 education workers across the province. On Wednesday, OSBCU President Joe Tigani and London area CUPE local presidents, as well as rank and file Educational Assistants, will share their experiences working in a crumbling education system and the horrendous survey findings. 

WHO:
Joe Tigani, President of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU);
Rebecca Avey, Educational Assistant and President of CUPE 7575;
Tracey Cooper, Educational Assistant and President of CUPE 4186;
Mary Henry, Head Secretary and President of CUPE 4222;
Paul Nagy, Educational Assistant at Thames Valley District School Board; and
Betty Laemers, Registered Early Childhood Educator for Thames Valley District School Board.

WHAT:
CUPE-OSBCU Press Conference to present London-area OSBCU Services Survey findings

WHERE:
CUPE Local 7575 Office, 1093 Brydges St. London

WHEN:
Wednesday, January 29, 2025, 10 a.m.

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For more information, contact:

Shannon Carranco, CUPE Communications
scarranco@cupe.ca
514-703-8358