Fewer education assistants means less support for Delta students
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DELTA, British Columbia — A shortage of education assistants in Delta Schools will mean less support for the district's most vulnerable students next school year. This is the warning from CUPE 1091, the union representing school support workers in the Delta School District.
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'Education assistants are overwhelmed trying to meet the needs of students. Come September, there will be even fewer of them,' says Daun Frederickson, a Delta school support worker and president of CUPE 1091. 'It is so much harder for students with complex needs to succeed at school without one-on-one support. For our schools to be truly inclusive, they need EAs.'
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The Delta School District is faced with a half million-dollar shortfall for its 2025-2026 budget. Despite an ongoing shortage of EAs, the district will not be able to replace retiring EAs and will need to leave other EA and support staff positions vacant, unless the province steps in with more education funding for the next school year.
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'B.C. public schools should be inclusive for every child. Cutting EAs, like in Delta, Surrey, and Prince George, just to name a few communities, makes it harder for schools to be inclusive for students with complex needs,' says Paul Simpson, head of the K-12 Presidents Council and a Burnaby school support worker.
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The K-12 Presidents Council, representing over 60 K-12 support staff union locals across B.C., including CUPE 1091, says the cuts being experienced in Delta are happening across B.C. It has launched a province-wide campaign, Better BC Schools, calling on the province to increase funding for EAs and other supports for public schools to help B.C. families.
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'School support workers could be doing so much more – helping more students in every grade, helping expand before- and after- school child care spaces we desperately need,' says Simpson. 'These are investments that could make a real difference for practically every family in this province. All school support workers in B.C. are dedicated to making our schools better for students and are ready to work with school districts and the province towards that goal.'
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