To All Educational Assistants:

Starting September 2011, Regular Program Educational Assistants ( including French Immersion) will have a change in daily work hours from 6 hrs to 6 hours and 20 mins.

The reason that Regular EAs hours are not increased by 50 mins is that the Ministry of Education does not fund Regular EAs, therefore the budget costings can allow for 20 extra minutes at this time.

Principals were all informed about this change on June 28th, 2011.

Special Education EAs are going up to 6 hours and 50 mins because when the current Collective Agreement issues were being negotiated with the Ontario Ministry of Education in 2007/08, the agreed to language stated that Ontario Special Education EAs who were not already working 7 hours per day could have their workday extended 'up to 7 hrs." At the TDSB, the Board has informed principals that Special Ed EAs will be working 6 hrs and 50 minutes starting in September 2011.

The Union and the TDSB will continue to have discussions on hours of work for EAs and ECEs.

When we have concrete answers, we will communicate with the members about any more changes.