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'Why inflict unnecessary anxiety and hardship on parents, teachers, staff and administrators who are already struggling to maintain present programs and services?'
Halifax (18 Jan. 2011) - The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU/NUPGE) is strongly opposed to a budget-cutting exercise that school boards are now being forced by the provincial government to conduct.
“This whole process is a farce and a complete waste of time," says NSGEU president Joan Jessome. "Why inflict unnecessary anxiety and hardship on parents, teachers, staff and administrators who are already struggling to maintain present programs and services?”
Jessome attended a recent Chignecto-Central Regional School Board meeting where she spoke about the importance of preserving the quality of services.
"It takes a team of workers to educate a child. It takes educational assistants, administrative assistants, library and IT support, curriculum support and others,” argues Jessome. "If any part of this team is weakened, it has an impact on the quality of education our children receive."
The presidents and other executive members from the nine NSGEU school board and school bus locals across the province met Jan. 17 to discuss a response to school board cuts and to develop a plan of action to defend quality of education. It was attended by approximately 40 union leaders.
NSGEU members work for six school boards: the South Shore Regional School Board, the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board, the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board, the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial, the Halifax Regional School Board and the Tri-County Regional School Board.
The employees operate buses and provide monitoring through First Bus Canada and Stock Transportation. NSGEU members also provide public health services in the provincial school system and develop curriculum through the department of education. Other NSGEU members provide services through Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority (APSEA).
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The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE