The Conseil national du soutien scolaire (CNSS-SEPB) strongly condemns the budget cuts of half a billion dollars announced by the CAQ last week. « This is an odious and irresponsible decision, » says CNSS President Manon Cholette.
The CNSS represents nearly 8,000 support staff employees affiliated with the Syndicat des employées et employés professionnels-les et de bureau – (SEPB-Québec–FTQ). « Among our members, there is confusion and indignation. More than ever, our students need support, and more than ever, our infrastructures need repair. Our members have been holding the school network together for too long, and now the CAQ chooses this moment to announce massive cuts that will bring the entire network to its knees. It is not only irresponsible, it is downright cruel, » says Ms. Cholette bluntly.
Students Will Be the First to Pay the Price
It is false to believe that the school system can do more with less and that by improving our processes, it is possible to gain half a billion in efficiency. In fact, the reality is quite different. With the various problems in our schools, including violence, we need massive reinvestment, not the opposite.
« We are already doubling our ingenuity to provide acceptable service to children, but there are limits to placing the responsibility on our members’ shoulders. The first to be affected are the most vulnerable students. Disabled students or those with adaptation or learning difficulties will be the first to feel the effects of the cuts. Is this the kind of society we want to live in? A society where we abandon the most vulnerable for the sake of a number in an Excel column? Bernard Drainville increasingly reminds us of Elon Musk in the United States, who started cutting for the sake of cutting without evaluating the impacts. All he needs is a chainsaw, » concludes Ms. Cholette.
In this context, the CNSS and the SEPB school unions join the movement Together, united for the school (Ensemble, unis pour l’école).