The Waterloo Catholic District School Board is one step closer to laying off teachers.
Tuesday, school board officials provided the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association with the number of layoffs preliminarily expected for the 2015-16 school year.
Michael Devoy, president of OECTA’s Waterloo Region chapter, says the number being provided doesn’t necessarily equal the number of layoffs that will actually occur.
“I’m very hopeful that we won’t have any layoffs,” he said.
“We get this number every year, and it’s always way far beyond the number of teachers that are actually affected.”
In 2014, Devoy says, he was told a certain number of layoffs would occur – only for none to actually take place, and the board to hire new employees instead.
Both OECTA and the school board declined to provide CTV News with the specific number.
Last week, the school board announced a likelihood of impending layoffs due to declining enrolment and, subsequently, less funding from the province.
Any actual layoff notices will be issued by May 31, Devoy said.
