Editor:
As our school year has come to a close and our Canada Day celebrations are over, CUPE members who work in the 91原创 School District take time to reflect on the past year and prepare for September, 2011.
Working in the public school system is a great job and is also a labour of love. Students are at the centre of all we do, no matter what job CUPE members do.
Our special education assistants, ESL assistants, youth care workers, Aboriginal support workers, interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing, family support workers and other specialists work with students who need specialized support 鈥� and spend their days in and out of the classroom 鈥� ensuring that all students can be successful. They will miss the students who they supported this year and we know those students will miss them.
Our bus drivers, bus monitors, library and science techs, Strong Start facilitators will return in September to support our students as well.
Clerical staff will close financial accounts and get ready for auditors as well as do all the preparation for the new school year.
Our collegues in CUPE Local 1851 will be hard at work keeping the schools clean and maintaining the buildings and grounds in preparation for the new school year.
At the end of this year we said good bye to retiring CUPE Local 1260 members. In all, 19 members with the combined service of close to 400 years, retired by the end of the summer. We wish them well and we know our community does, too.
For the CUPE staff who will be there to open up schools in September it will be a challenging year. We are seeing layoffs and reduction in hours as the district continues to deal with its deficit elimination plan.
Our schools and student services also feel the effects of chronic underfunding.
However, regardless of these challenges, we look forward to welcoming new and returning students when the new school year starts all over again in September and wish everyone a safe and fun-filled summer.
Donna Mason, president
CUPE Local 1260 91原创 Schools
