The effects of the loss of forty teachers in the Green Bay Integrated School District in the school years: 1994-95 and 1995-96

MacDonald, Patricia C. (1996) The effects of the loss of forty teachers in the Green Bay Integrated School District in the school years: 1994-95 and 1995-96. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Declining enrolment and teacher redundancy have been crucial issues for many provinces in Canada and the United States for more than two decades. -- In Newfoundland and Labrador, declining student enrolment surfaced as a serious problem in the late 1970's. At that time lobbying by the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association played a major role in Government's decision to enact legislation (The Schools Act (Teachers' Staffing) Regulations) stating that no more than 2% of any school board's teachers could be lost in any one school year. In 1994, the 2% regulation was amended to phase out, over a two year period, the total number of teaching units accumulated as a result of allocations under the 2% regulation. Amending the 2% regulation meant considerable saving in teacher salaries to the government. -- The Green Bay Integrated School District was one of the most severely hit districts in the province. During the 1970's and early 1980's enrolment was fairly consistent, but by the late 1980's steady declines had begun. A Welcome Back Program created by the district during the late 1980's and early 1990's encouraged adults to take courses in local schools and these students were included in enrolment numbers. When the program was discontinued, the district's student enrolment plummeted. This decline in student enrolment meant that fewer teachers would be needed. As a consequence of the 2% regulation, the surplus teachers were not all lost at one time. Each year the district cut its numbers by only four teachers, the maximum that could be lost in any one year. -- In 1994-95, the district had to remove twenty-four teachers, and another sixteen in 1995-96, as decided by the Department of Education. It is expected that up to twenty-seven more teachers may be lost in the Green Bay Integrated School District for the 1996-97 school year as the phase out of the 2% regulation ends. One would expect that such drastic measures will affect students, teachers, and administrators in this district. -- This thesis looks at the effects of the loss of forty teachers from the Green Bay Integrated School District over a two year period. The focus is on the eight schools that offer high school courses, from grades seven to twelve, four of which are all-grade schools. -- The findings reveal that most schools have had to combine classes, and cut back on specialty programs and extracurricular activities. In addition, teachers have had to deal with heavier workloads and have felt added stress because of work, job insecurity and suffering morale. -- As a group, the teachers in this district are highly educated and experienced. The aging of staffs is particularly significant as layoffs done according to seniority result in the younger, more currently trained teachers being terminated. -- Thus far the smaller, all-grade schools have been most negatively affected. Cuts in their schools have made already heavy teaching loads even heavier. In the larger schools the loss of teachers has been easier to accommodate. Optional courses and some programs have been cut, but overall the effects on these teachers relate more to morale and job security issues. -- These two matters not only affect the teachers themselves, but may be transferred to students through teachers' attitudes and job performance.

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