Yukon education minister explains cuts to educational assistant positions

Yukon's education minister is reassuring parents that students who need an educational assistantwill have their needs met.

This follows concerns raised byThe Yukon Teachers' Association (YTA) which anticipated that up to 40 positions could be gone by next fall.

• Yukon to cut educational assistants, teachers' union says

TraceyAnneMcPhee says the Yukon Teachers Association 'misunderstood' how EA positions have been allocated for the coming school year.

Equivalent of 11 full-time positions possibly'left empty'

McPhee said thatafter assessing student enrollment and the needs of each school, an equivalent of 11 full-time educational assistant positions will be left empty for the new school, as compared to last year.

But McPhee saidthat's a "fluid situation" that could easily change.

"[It's] based on what the need is," McPheesaid. "It's always assessed on student need. No student who requires...an intensive EA would go without an EA, or without access to that support.

"The assessment of student needs is ongoing, it's ongoing throughout the summer. It occurs in the fall, once each student gets to [their] classes...and a determination is made [then] if those numbers are correct. They may not be," said McPhee.

Yukon Teachers' association anticipated up to 40 positions cut

The Yukon Teachers' Association (YTA) had told the CBC the territory was preparing to reduce the number of educational assistants (EAs) working in Yukon schools next fall.

YTA president Jill Mason saidschool administrators were recently told by the Department of Educationthat "they wouldn't get as many educational assistants as they had last year."

Masonbelievedthere could be around 40 fewer EAs next year. She estimates there are about 225 working as non-permanent employeesin Yukon schools.

According to Mason, an allocation committee made up of teachers, parents, First Nationsand othersdecidedlast year that EAs should be allocated based on students' needs, not with an "arbitrary cap" on their numbers.

She says word of the cuts came even before schools had submitted their needs-based requests.

McPheesaidthe situation will be re-assessed in the fall.