The president of a union representing teachers assistants on the South Shore says she’s concerned with additional pressures being put on TAs.
The Commission on Inclusive Education’s final report recommends updating TA guidelines as well as additional and harmonized training.
Jackie Swaine with Service Employees International Union Local 2, says she agrees with much of the report.
“Putting the students first and having changes in our system is absolutely something that had to happen.”
But she has concerns on how the changes will roll out.
“New training and new guidelines for teacher assistants as well as what the expectations might be based on the same amount of money those individuals are making,” she says. “It certainly isn’t much money.”
In Halifax, some TAs make over $35,000 while those in rural areas take in under $25,000 gross per year.
“TAs are a vital part of the team in the school but sometimes they’re not treated that way.”
Swaine says TAs do a difficult job and need to be compensated better considering the amount of violence they often face.
“No one should have to go to work and be in violent situations … I tell TAs all the time ‘that’s not part of your job.’”
The report highlighted comments from parents who were unhappy that their child’s TAs were not a part of their Individual Program Plan (IPP).
Swaine also believes TAs should be involved in that process, though she adds that teachers should ‘absolutely’ be the leads.
There’s no word yet on when the province and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union might move forward on implementing the recommendations from the report.
Swaine hopes that when they do, her union, as well as frontline workers are consulted.
She says they weren’t consulted during the creation of the inclusion report or the Glaze Report on education.
“This is of no offense to the teachers but when we talk about everything, of course they are the leads, they’re the teachers, but all we hear about is the teachers, what about the TAs?”
She would like to see more information on how the training could change and what that means for people who are currently receiving their education.
