What would a support staff strike mean for Foothills students?

With job action by Foothills School Division (FSD) support staff now a distinct possibility, the potential impact of such a strike is on the minds of school administrators, teachers and, perhaps most of all, students and their families.

While a school support staff strike would not result in school closures, there would undoubtedly be a significant impact, said Carla Penhalagan, CUPE Local 5040 president.

"There will be fewer staff and fewer resources," she said.

CUPE Local 5040 is made up of around 300 FSD support staff, 82 per cent of whom voted in favour of a strike, which according to Penhalagan, was a vote in favour of the children of Alberta.

"We want what's best for the kids, we want what's best for their families," said Penhalagan. "It is ultimately because we care that we have to do this."

A strike could take place anytime within 120 days of the Feb. 12 vote, although Penhalagan did not say when a strike might take place. 

If any job action were to take place, the union would provide FSD and the public 72-hour notice.

FSD superintendent Chris Fuzessy acknowledged the importance of support staff in a letter to the school district's learning community on Feb. 12, referring to them as "key to the engagement, support and success of all learners.

"As a school division, the safety and well-being of every learner is our top priority. We respect the right of our colleagues in CUPE Local 5040 to take job action and know that any job action will impact the operation of our sites."

In the event of a strike, schools would remain open across the division, though there would need to be adaptations to operations, such as programs for students with special needs.

"We have assessed the needs and created plans to best support each student. Accordingly, students requiring specialized care or medical assistance, for example, may have a continuity of learning from home during the strike," wrote Fuzessy.

A lawsuit filed against the Government of Alberta and Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides claims that a legal exemption for in-person learning requirements, proclaimed through a ministerial order in light of the ongoing education support staff strike at Edmonton Public Schools, discriminates against students with disabilities by preventing those who require a support worker from attending school.

Penhalagan cited this case as an example of the need for support staff in schools, arguing that having students with special needs learn from home is not an appropriate solution.

"This is only going to get worse and more observable if we were to go on strike action," she said.

Extracurricular activities and field trips may also be impacted in the event of a strike, with FSD assuring families that notice will be given ahead of any cancellations. 

A strike would not cause any school bus disruptions as drivers are represented by Foothills School Division Bus Drivers Association, not CUPE.

FSD will communicate any updates on the situation with families, said Fuzessy.

Updates on the bargaining process are available on the CUPE Local 5040 Facebook page and FSD website.

Foothills staff are among thousands that voted in favour of a strike, including Local 40 (Calgary Board of Education, 800 custodial and maintenance employees), Local 520 (Calgary Catholic School Division, 350 custodial and maintenance employees), Local 3484 (Black Gold School Division, 500 secretarial, librarians and EAs) and Local 5543 (Parkland School Division, 400 EAs and support staff employees). 

The vote comes amid numerous rallies and in the aftermath of the Foothills union reaching a new deal with the Foothills School Division last year. That contract, which was reached Aug. 22, expired on Aug. 31, four days after it was ratified on Aug. 27.

According to CUPE, the average education worker in Alberta makes $34,000 annually while the average educational assistant makes $27,000, which the group deemed "poverty level wages" in a statement.

Beyond higher wages, the workers are seeking improved funding to support students with special needs.

"We are also looking for better resources for the kids that we work with, which includes medical training for some of us, because we are not working with any medical training at the moment," said Penhalagan.

"We are looking for more funding for those students so that they can have resources like literacy groups, or numeracy development, or better supports in general for all children, not necessarily just those special needs kids."