The English Montreal School Board (EMSB)<\/strong> is facing sharp criticism from parents and staff after proposing the elimination of more than 100 positions dedicated to supporting students with special needs, raising alarm about the impact on some of the system’s most vulnerable learners.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The union representing white-collar support workers at the board says 117 positions<\/strong> are slated to be abolished, including attendants and special needs technicians, though some of those roles are already vacant.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Kim Watson, a vice-president at the Association professionnelle du personnel administratif<\/strong>, says staff are struggling even before the proposed cuts take effect.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n “They are skipping their breaks, skipping their lunches, which is not OK,” Watson said. “They’re getting sick, injured, they’re feeling desperate, they’re calling us up in tears, very often. And that was before the added cuts announced this year, so I’m very concerned.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Watson says the proposal arrives at a moment when many employees are already working beyond their limits, raising concerns about long-term mental health and workplace safety.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Vassilios Mandelos<\/strong>, chair of the advisory committee on Special Education Services (ACSES) and parent of a child enrolled at the EMSB, condemned the plan in stark terms.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n “We all know the current challenges within the system and the lack of funding to support these special needs students,” Mandelos said. “To remove all of those roles, particularly in those areas \u2014 it’s unfathomable in terms of how we reach those conclusions.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The EMSB says the cuts are part of broader efforts to reduce spending and balance its budget, but board spokesperson Mike Cohen<\/strong> argues the school board’s hands are tied by the provincial government.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Cohen says the government is preventing the board from drawing on approximately $60 million in surplus funds<\/strong> to offset its deficit, and has also made it harder for the board to recruit international students \u2014 a key source of revenue.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n “It’s like me being told by my bank, you have savings but you’re not allowed to use it,” Cohen said. “We’re not letting you take your savings out \u2014 this is our money \u2014 we earned it fair and square.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The EMSB has not announced a final decision on the proposed cuts. Parents and union representatives say they intend to continue pressing the board and the provincial government for answers.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Budget Pressures Prompt Controversial Staffing Reductions The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is facing sharp criticism from parents and staff after proposing the elimination of more than 100 positions dedicated to supporting students with special needs, raising alarm about the impact on some of the system’s most vulnerable learners. The union representing white-collar support workers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWorkers Already Stretched Thin, Union Warns<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Parents Call Cuts ‘Unfathomable’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Board Points Finger at Quebec Government<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n