Longer spring break cuts costs
Vernon Morning Star
By Katherine Mortimer
June 17, 2009

The school year may be winding down, but the Vernon School District is already looking ahead to next year in an effort to cut costs.

Trustees recently approved the 2009/10 budget, which calls for $2.7 million in cuts, and one way of doing that is by extending spring break from one week to two.

“The savings comes directly from support staff, meaning the employee groups that support schools — bus drivers, school-based clerical staff, secretaries, librarians and CEAs (certified education assistants,” said district secretary-treasurer Randy Hoffman.

By adding an extra five days of holidays to spring break, the district doesn’t require the services of support staff and will save $200,000….

 “It’s basically a two-and-a-half per cent wage cut for a good portion of my members,” said CUPE president Mark Olsen. “We don’t consider it a spring break, we consider it a lay-off.

“We’re paid hourly wages, we’re paid weekly and when they reduce that rate, it only affects CUPE — it doesn’t affect teachers or administrators.”

Olsen said his members are also concerned about parents who are now faced with having to find day care for an extra week….

… “The biggest concerns, of course, were CUPE and child care. The district is saving money on the backs of CUPE workers and that’s unfortunate.”

… In other cost-saving measures, the district will save $102,600 by implementing all-day kindergarten, with students attending full days twice per week and one alternating day each week….

 “We’ve had full-day kindergarten at several schools already, and from a ministry perspective, they’ve wanted to go to all-day kindergarten for awhile. The research says kids can do this and the educational theories support this, and it ties in with all of the early learning that we promote.”…

 “I believe my child got more out of it because it’s preparing them for when they’ll go full days in Grade 1, and parents save money on child care,” she said. “The child care provider side of me says it’s not a good thing: providers are going to lose out because parents won’t have to pay for as much child care.”

Makohoniuk said in discussions with the district, she insisted that schools inform parents by the end of June as to what days their child will attend kindergarten, in order to give them ample time to organize child care.