RELEASE: PVNC Catholic Responds to CUPE Budget Claims

July 3, 2025

PETERBOROUGH – The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board is aware of recent public statements made by CUPE Local 1453 regarding the Board’s draft 2025–2026 budget.

While we value the role of our union partners and the important work of education workers, we wish to clarify key inaccuracies in CUPE’s release.

Contrary to CUPE’s claims, PVNC Catholic is not reducing the number of Special Education Workers. The 2025–2026 budget includes funding for 300 Special Education Workers—an increase from 289 in the 2024–2025 budget. Special Education Workers include Educational Assistants, Autism Spectrum Disorder Workers, and Itinerant staff.

This investment is clearly outlined in our draft budget and underscores our continued commitment to supporting students with diverse and complex needs.

This year’s draft budget also includes:

• An increase of 3.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) Special Education Teachers, and
• Maintained staffing levels in Social Work, Speech-Language Pathology, and Psychological Services.

In 2025–2026, PVNC Catholic is projected to support 1,972 pupils identified as exceptional, up from 1,921 in the current year. Staffing decisions are informed by a careful analysis of student needs, enrollment trends, and available funding.

“Educational Assistants and support staff are essential to creating safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments for all students,” said Stephen O’Sullivan, Director of Education. “We are grateful for their ongoing dedication, and we remain committed to investing in the support our students need to thrive.”

We recognize that the number of staff in place at the start of the school year is often lower than the number working by year’s end. This is a normal and well-established part of our staffing process. Each fall, as enrollment is confirmed and individual student needs are reviewed, additional positions are allocated to ensure appropriate levels of support across our system.

PVNC Catholic continues to invest well beyond the Ministry’s funding allocation for Special Education. We are proud of our commitment to inclusive education and the dedicated professionals who support our students each day.

The draft 2025–2026 budget was presented to the Board of Trustees on June 24, 2025. Trustees are expected to vote on the final budget at a Special Board Meeting on July 15, 2025.