School board cutting 9% of custodial, maintenance jobs

GUELPH – There will be 20 caretakers and one maintenance worker missing from the halls of Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) schools and facilities come September.

The board confirmed it has cut 15 custodial positions, and said six more “are vacant due to a variety of reasons, including recent retirement.”

There will also be one less maintenance position due to a retirement, UGDSB representative Megan Sicoli told the Advertiser.

None of the vacant positions will be filled. 

The reductions make up about nine per cent of the custodial and maintenance team. 

The local union representing the staff and the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) are publicly condemning the UGDSB, saying officials opted for “significant staffing cuts despite ongoing understaffing and increasing workload pressures.” 

Sicoli said the changes reflect the “needed amount” of custodial staff due to decreased enrolment impacting overall revenue.

Student enrolment is set to decrease by almost 3% (from 35,493 to 34,468) and the board’s total operating revenue is 0.5% higher next year than last.  

“The staffing process is not about finding savings,” Sicoli said, “but about ensuring the needs of each school/board site are met within the allocated revenue.” 

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 256 officials say the UGDSB has not demonstrated the cuts are necessary. 

The union and OSBCU are calling on the province to “properly fund education” and on the UGDSB to “immediately reverse” the job cuts.

When asked if there’s any chance of a reversal, Sicoli said the decision had been carefully made.

Levels of cleanliness

“Our caretakers and maintenance workers keep our schools safe, clean and functioning every day,” CUPE 256 president Bill Foster said. “CUPE 256 is extremely concerned about the impact these cuts will have on schools.” 

“The board has already indicated that reduced staffing will result in new cleaning standards in September,” Foster continued.  “Lowering expectations because there are fewer workers is not a solution.”

Sicoli said the board’s “incredibly talented and hard-working staff are dedicated to ensuring welcoming and clean learning and working environments. 

“We remain committed to delivering the same high level of cleanliness, consistency and attention to detail,” she continued. 

CUPE officials are concerned that this will not be possible as “the board is opening a new high school, constructing a new elementary school, and planning additional schools, increasing the amount of space that will require ongoing custodial and maintenance services.”

From Foster’s perspective: “These cuts are unacceptable and don’t reflect the realities in our schools.”

‘Chronic underfunding’

OSBCU officials say the cuts reflect the issue of “chronic underfunding” of education in Ontario since 2018.

Ministry of Education officials did not respond to the Advertiser’s request for comment (the ministry determines funding for Ontario public schools).

“What we’re seeing at [the UGDSB] is part of a broader pattern, where education workers are being asked to pay the price for underfunding,” said OSBCU president Joe Tigani. 

“OSBCU stands behind CUPE 256 members as they fight back. 

“We are united in defending good jobs, protecting vital services, and pushing back against a system that continues to undervalue education workers and the students they serve,” Tigani said.

Terry James Resource Centre closure

This news comes in the wake of the UGDSB confirming it is closing the Terry James Resource Centre, which provided cataloguing, a media centre, printing and a library for UGDSB staff. 

“The decision to close was due to funding,” Sicoli told the Advertiser. 

There were 10 staff members at the centre, and while Sicoli said “many” have been offered other positions within the board, she could not confirm how many. 

The centre’s closure will not mean resources disappear, Sicoli said: “materials will be redistributed to schools based on identified need and usage history.” 

'Too top-heavy'

Union officials are also concerned custodial and maintenance departments are too top-heavy, as management positions are retained while frontline staff are reduced. 

Managing the 225 custodial and maintenance workers at the UGDSB are seven supervisors and one senior facilities manager, each earning more than $150,000 annually, including one maintenance supervisor who earns about $180,000 to oversee six maintenance workers, union officials note. 

Multiple UGDSB staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity, have contacted the Advertiser with concerns about the contrast between staffing cuts and swelling salaries for executives. 

In 2025, 22 UGDSB staff had salaries surpassing $190,000, with just one of those teaching students. 

Director Peter Sovran brought home $276,000, two associated directors made $257,000 and $229,000, nine managers had salaries ranging from $190,000 to $222,000, five superintendents made between $196,000 and $217,000,  and the commissioner of human rights equity and accessibility, the chief information and security officer, the chief financial officer and a psychological services consultant all made between $196,000 and $209,000.

From 2024 to 2025, four of those top-paid staff received raises between 45% and 82%.