A “white cup” announced in education, denounce unions

Unions in eastern Quebec denounce the budgetary restrictions required by Quebec to school service centers (CSS). Although they still expect official indications of CSSthey are already afraid of repercussions on the quality of students’ services from the next school year, and especially for the most vulnerable children.

These announcements at the end of the year, it doesn’t bode well for the coming year. We are very worriedsays the president of the teaching union of the Mitis region, Jean-François Gaumond, who qualifies these announced compressions as white cuts.

It is appalling that the government comes to weaken the education network to this pointsaid the president of the Syndicate of Education Workers in East Quebec, Anne Bernier.

She emphasizes that this directive which falls just before the school holidays forces the CSS To completely review what they have already implemented for the next year.

The school service centers in Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie and de la Îles-de-la-Madeleine have learned this week that they will have to cut nearly $ 39.5 million from their budget at the next school year.

At the province level, these budgetary restrictions required by the Ministry of Education total $ 570 million next year, and are accompanied by staff optimization measures.

It is certain that it is the services that will scopaccording to Jean-François Gaumond

The cuts announced represent about 5 to 7 % of the budgets of school service centers, advances Jean-François Gaumond, while management costs represent less than 5 % of their budget.

Even if everyone was cut in the administrative center, the general management included, it would be necessary to continue to cut again, made that ultimately it is sure that it is the services that will get scopedhe laments.

Whether at the administrative, educational and educational level, the budget cuts that the CSS will have an impact on student services, also thinks Ms. Bernier, but also repercussions on school staff who will still be struggling with all this great problem.

My fear is that at some point, there are people falling into battle by lack of services.

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In a context of staff shortage, the president of the Grand-Portage Teaching Syndicate, Natacha Blanchet, fears for her part that the cuts affect catching up and tutoring, but also hiring resources to support students with special needs, such as technicians in special education.

These resources allow teachers to blow a little, she explains.

Are we going to have more people who will not get there, who will have to leave?she asks, arguing that the composition of the classes has become more complex, with students with behavioral or violence problems, language disorders, with students from immigration.

The government has not thought about the impacts of this drastic cut in the education system, in the current context where it is very fragile.

Union spokespersons say they say that education is really a priority for the government of François Legault who had made it “primary ambition” during his first election in 2018, saying that he wants to give each of our children the means to go to the end of their potential.

Clearly, that’s not what emerges from the announcements that are madesaid Jean-François Gaumond.

A consolidation phaseaccording to the office of the Minister of Education

The Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, defends himself from imposing cuts on the education network.

Questioned today to know if he could guarantee that each student in eastern Quebec would have everything he needs during the next school year, the Minister’s office responded by email to Radio-Canada that Since the CAQ is in government, the education budget increases on average by 7 % per yearwhile Under the liberals, the annual increase was [de] Less than 4 % and that they have had to make a great catch -up.

Let’s be clear, this year, education is still seeing its budget increase by 5 %. It is growth, not a “cut”. Now what we ask for the network is to respect the budget that has been granted.

The cabinet adds to understand that It’s a challenge et continue[r] to work with the network to preserve student services as much as possible while being more effective in the management of the education budget of 23.5 billion this year.

The spokesman for the third opposition group in education and deputy of Matane-Matapédia, Pascal Bérubé, questions the real state of public finances of the government. If we do not have the money in education, which should be the priority, that means that there is nowhere elsehe believes.

How did we get there? What is the real situation of public finances today? Has it dusted at that point?

Where we are going to take this money which is necessaryhe asks, We barely have it to cover all needs.

On the eve of the school holidays, these compressions are a bomb in the network coming Savine the morale of staff and create A lot of insecurity for staffsay the union spokespersons.

The president of the teaching union of the Mitis region, Jean-François Gaumond, is of the opinion that the effect of these cuts will be felt from the start of the school year, but also in the long term, Because education is an investment for the future.

With the information of Isabelle Damphousse