Windsor Star: Union Warns of Special Education Teacher Cuts at Windsor-Essex Schools

Union warns of pending special education teacher cuts: Mario Spagnuolo, president of the Greater Essex chapter of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, is shown at his Tecumseh office on Dec. 15, 2021. PHOTO BY DAN JANISSE /Windsor Star

(Via the Windsor Star) – There will be substantial cuts next year in the number of special education teaching positions at the Greater Essex County District School Board, the head of teachers’ union warns.

Mario Spagnuolo, president of the Greater Essex Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, said there will be an 18-per-cent cut, but a board spokesperson says final decisions have yet to be made.

Spagnuolo also told the Windsor Star that teachers have reported to the union that they’ve been told by the board to — pending results of a review — pause placements for its RISE (Reaching Individual Success and Excellence) program, which provides students in need of extra help in English and math half-day classes of their own. That decision has affected enrolment in the program, he said.

Asked to comment, the board would not confirm whether such an instruction was issued.