HAMILTON, ON – CUPE 3396 and the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) strongly condemn the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board’s decision to move ahead with staffing cuts, warning that reductions will further strain already understaffed schools and reduce supports for students with increasingly complex needs.
The Board recently notified the Local that 25 positions will be affected for the 2026–27 school year. Nineteen of those positions are related to the loss of student support funding (SSF), including seven child and youth workers (CYWs), seven educational assistants (EAs), and five clerical positions. An additional six positions —one speech and language pathologist (SLP) and five designated early childhood educators (DECEs) — are affected as part of changes to the Board’s protected complement resulting from enrolment changes.
CUPE 3396 represents approximately 1,200 full-time, part-time and supply education workers, including educational assistants, designated early childhood educators, secretaries and clerical staff, information technology workers, social workers, librarians, speech and language staff, psychometrists, and child and youth workers at the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board.
“Our members have been devastated by these cuts,” said Marcia Matthews, President of CUPE 3396. “Many affected members have been forced into lower classifications, while others have gone from 12-month to 10-month positions, resulting in significant pay cuts. These are dedicated education workers who have supported students for years, and they deserve better.”
The Board has cited the loss of the support for student’s fund (SSF) as the reason for the staffing reductions. However, Ministry funding documents indicate that the support for student’s fund will continue for the 2026–2027 school year, and direct boards to use the funding for its intended purpose. At the same time, the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board is projected to experience modest enrolment growth, while overall provincial funding for the Board is expected to increase by approximately 1.2 per cent, raising further questions about the Board’s rationale for these cuts.
“Our members and the families they support deserve clear answers,” Matthews said. “If this funding continues, the Board needs to explain why these positions are being eliminated.”
The OSBCU says these cuts reflect a broader pattern driven by chronic underfunding of education in Ontario since 2018.
“What we’re seeing at Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board is part of a broader pattern, where education workers are being asked to pay the price for underfunding,” said Joe Tigani, President of the OSBCU. “These are the people who support students with special needs, maintain safe schools and ensure schools function every day. Cutting these workers hurts everyone.”
CUPE 3396 and the OSBCU are calling on the province to properly fund education and on the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board to immediately reverse these job cuts.
“Students deserve safe, supported learning environments,” Tigani said. “That starts with investing in the workers who make that possible. The OSBCU stands behind CUPE 3396 members as they fight back. We are united in defending good jobs, protecting vital services, and pushing back against a system that continues to undervalue education workers and the students they serve.”
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For more information, please contact:
Chitra Kunnath
CUPE Communications
[email protected]
416-317-0285
