Rocky View Schools (RVS) is letting go of 38 caretaking positions as the public school board moves forward into the upcoming school year.
Great West Media's Airdrie newsroom was notified of the layoffs by an RVS caretaker who asked to remain anonymous. That employee claimed the caretakers were notified of the layoffs via a Zoom meeting in late June.
According to a statement from RVS confirming the layoffs, when the $318 million operating budget for 2023-24 was approved in May, they recognized cuts were going to be necessary in order to reduce spending on caretaking.
"Given the limited Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funding available for 2023-24 and having used all one-time reserve O&M funds to buffer funding shortfalls, a plan was developed to maintain a similar level of service to keep schools clean while spending less," stated RVS' communications department in an email confirming the layoffs. "This will involve changes to some caretakers’ schedules and responsibilities and the elimination of 38 positions – mainly building operator roles."
RVS' statement said additional caretaker positions are being added that will be filled by staff who are no longer in a building operator position.
Although the O&M grant from the government did increase by five per cent this year, RVS stated they have experienced increased cost pressures due to high inflation bringing rising utility, insurance, and compensation costs.
"In addition to caretaking, O&M funding must also address repairs and maintenance in our facilities, maintaining our grounds, snow removal, routine planning for future schools, utilities, and insurance," the division's statement read.
"Every staff member plays a valuable role in supporting our schools and students. RVS considers many cost-saving measures before reducing staff."
RVS state O&M funding remains an issue because of present utilization rates, as over-capacity schools are not seeing any additional government funding to focus on maintenance and cleaning expenses.
As per the division's statement, the changes are being made over the summer in time for the upcoming school year.
