SASKATOON — Shandell McLeod is unsure what the coming school year will look like, as the city’s public schools face a shortage of educational assistants due to a lack of funding, especially for those employed under Jordan’s Principle.
Jordan’s Principle is a child-first legal rule in Canada that ensures First Nations students receive the services they need without bureaucratic delays. It was named after Jordan River Anderson, a Cree child from Norway House Cree Nation.
McLeod, vice-chairperson of CUPE Saskatchewan’s Educational Workers Steering Committee, said cuts to Jordan’s Principle funding affected educational assistants in the province, with Saskatoon Public Schools terminating the contracts of 80 temporary EAs in February.
“Eight of them [EAs] were friends of mine. The loss of these EAs devastated schools and support for Indigenous students and their families. The loss of this funding had a ripple effect in Saskatchewan schools. Funding cuts result in students not being supported. [EAs] are already stretched thin, being pulled from student to student, classroom to classroom, to cover shortages of support staff that were once there,” McLeod said, holding back tears during a media event at the Saskatchewan NDP’s Saskatoon office on Aug. 21.
She added that students are the ones who suffer when EAs — dedicated and experienced professionals — are stretched thin and face burnout from extra workloads in addition to one-on-one support.
“EAs are at the school early when students are dropped off, during recesses and lunch, until dismissal, making sure they are safe. EAs have personal connections for students we support. The 80 EAs who were let go last year put others to work all over the place to fill the gaps. We had to work with kids that we didn't know and had no rapport with. Having that rapport and trust with a child is essential for being an EA,” McLeod said, adding she hopes the provincial government will fill the funding gap.
The 80 terminated EAs were temporary workers hired under Jordan’s Principle to provide one-on-one support. Their loss has left schools understaffed, McLeod’s committee said, a concern raised alongside Education Shadow Minister Matt Love and Associate Shadow Minister for Education, Early Learning and Child Care Joanne Pratchler.
Love said school divisions are trying to offer regular contracts this fall, but resources are limited.
“This is going to affect initially those First Nations students who have one-on-one support. They're going to be hit first. But then there's going to be an effect down the line as school divisions have to assign other EAs to children who need them the most. This isn't going to affect just 80 kids; it's going to affect every classroom in the province that was using Jordan's Principle-funded EAs because it's going to affect so many more children than just those who are receiving support,” Love said.
Pratchler said students are being left behind when essential supports are cut, and that education is a provincial responsibility.
“School boards shouldn't have to rely on federal programs to hire the staff that our children, our future generation, need. That's the job of the provincial government, not the federal. Right now, Saskatchewan ranks at the back of the pack when it comes to per-student funding in all of Canada. If we don't make a serious investment in education, we are short-changing our next generation, our future,” said Pratchler.
Bordy Hudson, who has worked seven years as an EA in Edmonton and Saskatoon, said Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools face the same issue. He was terminated after being hired through Jordan’s Principle. The division cut 159 EAs but expects to rehire around 80. Hudson said he is unsure whether he will be among them.
“Jordan's Principle exists to fill gaps for Indigenous students that need to be filled. Their needs are proven. That's part of the paperwork that's filed to get someone like me in the classroom. Just because the funding's not there anymore doesn't mean the need is gone,” Hudson said.
