Nearly 250 educational staffing positions with the York Region District School Board (YRDSB) will be eliminated ahead of the start of the upcoming school year.
According to CUPE 1734, the union was recently informed that 201 educational assistants, 36 secretarial and administrative staff, six technology workers and six library technicians positions will be lost ahead of the 2026-2027 school year. That’s a total of 249 positions.
In a statement to CTV News, CUPE 1734 and the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) said they both “strongly condemn the decision.”
“These cuts will have a devastating impact on YRDSB students, families, staff and school communities,” the statement read.
In April, the union representing caretakers and skilled trades workers, CUPE 1196, said it was informed the York school board would cut 78 members by the end of this school year.
The union also said an additional 135 members may be displaced from their current schools, but the school board has not provided “consistent or transparent information” confirming those changes.
“This is not just a staffing issue. This is a student safety issue, a human rights issue and a public education issue,” said Michelle Campbell, president of CUPE 1734, noting that schools are already “critically understaffed.”
“Every number on these lists represents a real worker supporting real students, and every single cut will be felt inside our schools.”
School board responds
In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson with YRDSB said the cuts were due to a lack of student enrolment across the province.
“We will not have enough student enrolment relative to the number of permanent staff.”
The spokesperson also said that during the 2025-2026 school year, the school board made no CUPE staffing cuts.
“While there may be a small percentage of staff members who cannot be placed next school year, we are working to place as many staff as possible into positions that are or may become available through attrition, at alternate school locations and by filling longer-term leaves.”
The union, however, said the staffing reductions reflect broader funding issues in Ontario’s education system.
The OSBCU said the cuts “are a direct result of the Ford government’s chronic underfunding of public education, amounting to more than $6 billion since 2018.”
“What we’re seeing at YRDSB 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.”
Budget cuts across Ontario
Over the past year, the Ontario government has placed eight school boards under provincial supervision, including the Toronto District School Board and the York Catholic District School Board.
The York Region District School Board has not been placed under provincial supervision.
The eliminations come as the TDSB and other school boards have also announced recent cuts to staffing and other programs.
Earlier this month, the TDSB announced that over 200 positions will be cut.
