Union pans board’s plan to cut psychology jobs, hire outside staff

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The head of a union representing psychologists at the Thames Valley District school board says she is “disappointed and angry” about the board’s plan to contract private psychologists at double the rate of its own staff.

Sandra Miller, head of the Professional Student Services Personnel, said she has been told by the board it plans to hire private psychologists during the summer.

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“I cannot understand how they think it is in any way acceptable to say they are cutting psychological services staff for next year, then contracting out this summer for services at twice the rate of pay,” Miller said. “Why would any PhD psychologist want to work for us when it is far more lucrative to be in private practice and then contract your services to the board over the summer months?”

The board is contemplating cutting 124 positions to reduce its projected deficit to $7.6 million from $18.5 million forecast in February.

Fifty-eight elementary and 24 secondary teaching jobs would be eliminated in the board’s preliminary $1.2-billion budget for the 2024-25 school year, a board report released earlier this month says.

Other job positions at risk include 17 early childhood educator positions, as well as four jobs in psychological services and four in speech services.

Assessments are “an essential part of what our psychology department does,” Miller said.

“Students receive a diagnosis, such as learning disabilities, ADHD and mild intellectual disability,” she said. “These assessments direct the schools through the individual education plan on how to best provide services to the student for their overall success.”

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Because there was a backlog of assessment due to the pandemic, the Education Ministry provided extra money for assessments to be completed, she said.

Though the board can’t force psychologists to work during the summer months, many volunteer to do the extra work, Miller said.

“As long as permanent staff requests are granted first, I do not have an issue with outside hires in the summer,” she said.

Last year, the board didn’t hire outside psychologists during the summer because the union took issue with the pay difference, Miller said.

“This year they are going ahead despite our concerns,” she said. “The union offered a solution and agreed to a letter of understanding, but the board refused our offer.”

Miller said the union would never want to hold up assessments for students.

“What we want is fair compensation for our members doing the same job – to raise morale and treat them with the same respect of private practitioners. This is essential to retention of staff.”

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Thames Valley superintendent of achievement Jeff Bruce said the board plans to hire contract workers “to maximize the number of assessments completed and reduce wait times and have as many students assessed as possible.

“Thames Valley is in the process of finalizing purchase of service agreements with third-party vendors to complete psychological assessments for students on the Thames Valley waiting list during July and August,” he said in an email.

The Ministry of Education has provided the funding “to conduct professional assessments to help reduce wait times,” Bruce said.

Every Thames Valley psychology services employee was given the opportunity to work during the summer and will be paid at the rate negotiated centrally, he said.

“Thames Valley has no control over these negotiations,” he said.

The province requires school boards to prepare balanced budgets. A board is allowed to have a one per cent deficit if has a surplus able to cover it.

The Thames Valley board’s projected deficit of $7.8 million is more than one per cent of its operating revenue so the board needs to submit a deficit recovery plan with the approved 2024-2025 budget.

Trustees must approve the budget by the end of June. The board has two meetings scheduled this week: a regular board meeting on Tuesday and a special board meeting on Wednesday for items deferred from Tuesday’s meeting.

hrivers@postmedia.com
@HeatheratLFP

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