Pending the approval of the Ministry of Education, nearly 20 full-time equivalent elementary librarian positions will be eliminated at the London District Catholic School Board (LCDSB) as early as this fall. The move comes as CEO Vince Romeo stated the board risks being ‘non-compliant’ with a mandate to submit a balanced budget to the Ministry of Education. “We cannot submit a preliminary budget that is in deficit this year. If we were to, we would tremendously increase the risk of a ministry review and possibly ministry supervision,” said Romeo. Despite the warning, trustees voted against the budget or abstained. Ultimately, the newly appointed CEO has the power to step in and submit the recommendation. The move left some trustees questioning their own powers. Most stated they view the impacted librarians as an essential part of classroom learning. Chair Gabe Pizzuti stated that the right of trustees to make final budget decisions has been taken away after nearly 200 years of existence in Ontario. But Pizzuti pledged to challenge any further reductions at the local and provincial level. “I can assure you the board is going to work with our CEO over the next few months to look at ways that resolve this matter,” he said. “The minister [of education] has told the school board that he does not want front-line workers cut, we propose to the director of education, our CEO, proposals that would not cut front-line workers.” Reached by telephone, Tracey Cooper, a union leader representing librarians, dubbed the 18.8 pending full-time equivalent job losses ‘disappointing.’ The president of CUPE 4186 expects layoff notices to be handed out in the next few weeks, with her union fighting each step of the process. Cooper had spoken at a rally on Monday, outside the LCDSB administration office. It was attended by impacted librarians and student supporters.
