Important Update Regarding CUPE Local 3484 Labour Action - March 11

RE: Bargaining Update & Potential Class Rotations

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are providing an update as CUPE Local 3484’s job action continues.

The Black Gold School Division (BGSD) and CUPE had a productive bargaining meeting on March 7th. While progress has been made, we remain far apart on monetary items. We look forward to returning to the bargaining table next week on Tuesday, March 18th. We are committed to finding a resolution that addresses the concerns of our valued support staff, within the limits of our fiscal realities.

All support staff play an important role in creating a positive learning environment. While we look forward to a time when we can welcome them back into our schools, we still need to plan for the education of all our students.

Possible Class Rotations

BGSD has reviewed our Ministerial Order for the exemption to the at-home learning regulation in detail, and we have been making the necessary adjustments to contingency plans in the context of each of our schools. We need to ensure that our staff has the necessary training to provide specialized and regular supports for all our students.

Our goal is to have as many students learning in-person as possible, and schools continue to examine the needs of their students, staffing complements, and operational capacity to provide a safe and supportive learning environment.

It is important to emphasize that Black Gold schools have exhausted all possibilities to minimize disruptions in learning environments. With our current staffing capacity, some schools may be unable to provide in-school learning for every child every day. Therefore, we are now looking at options for regrouping and/or transitioning groups of students who do not require specialized supports to rotational at-home learning.

These decisions will be made on a school-by-school or class/grade level basis, dependent on staff availability and local needs. Students assigned to at-home learning will be provided with learning activities in their current core programs.

Your child’s current learning arrangement remains in place, unless you are notified otherwise by your child’s school. Any move to class rotational learning will come with at least one week’s notice, and a regular schedule will be provided.

We are committed to keeping you informed as much as possible, and we appreciate your patience and understanding. You will receive information from your child’s school in the coming days.

Sincerely,

Michael Borgfjord, Superintendent

Black Gold School Division