Upper Grand District School Board moves ahead with layoffs
Union president says custodial cuts mean reduced cleaning in schools; board officials say same cleaning standards will remain
GUELPH – Layoffs are coming soon to the custodial department at the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB), and critics are concerned schools will be less clean as a result.
Officials confirmed 12 caretakers will be laid off and nine vacant custodial positions will not be filled come September – meaning there will be 21 (nine per cent) fewer caretakers and maintenance staff at the UGDSB.
The board has notified affected staff of the layoffs.
In early July, the UGDSB's plan was to cut the 21 custodial positions by laying off 15 staff and not filling six vacant positions, but four more positions have become vacant, which means four less people will be laid off.
Robin George
CUPE Local 256 met with the UGDSB on July 27 with hopes of negotiating an agreement to further reduce the layoffs.
But UGDSB officials say that wasn't the purpose of the meeting.
"Discussion centred on the planned approach for communicating the notices, including the format and conduct of the individual meetings with impacted employees," board spokesperson Megan Sicoli stated in an email to the Advertiser.
Union president Bill Foster said union officials left the meeting “dissatisfied."
He said CUPE asked for the number of custodial supervisors to be reduced, instead of cutting staff with the least seniority, but “the answer was 'no.'"
The union was informed all supervisors are set to remain, Foster said.
However, Sicoli told the Advertiser two "non-union management positions within the facilities department have been reduced."
There will be nine managers overseeing 204 custodial staff, including four supervisors and a senior facilities manager for 160 caretakers, and three supervisors plus a senior supervisor for 44 maintenance workers.
In 2025, the senior facilities manager was paid $206,816 and the manager of custodial services $181,918, according to the Public Sector Salary Disclosure List or Sunshine List.
The caretakers facing layoffs each make about $50,000 annually, Foster said.
Union officials also asked the board to reduce managers’ pay to free up funds for more caretakers and maintenance workers, but say board officials refused, saying cleaning in schools would be reduced instead, Foster told the Advertiser.
Sicoli said board staff is "dedicated to ensuring welcoming and clean learning and working environments," and the board remains "committed to delivering the same high level of cleanliness, consistency and attention to detail."
Foster said CEO Peter Sovran, associate director (and future CEO) Brent McDonald and superintendent Deirdre Pyke blamed the caretaker and maintenance layoffs on teacher absenteeism.
None of the above officials would provide comment, but Sicoli said "absenteeism and staff replacement costs across all employee groups ... continue to add pressures to our annual budget."
CUPE officials say that doesn’t add up and when they expressed their confusion, Foster said they were met with “‘well, the cost is too high.’”
Sicoli said “if even one-fifth of those anticipated absenteeism costs could be avoided, the board would have nearly $4 million of revenue that could be allocated to additional staff like caretakers, clerical and other valuable roles.”
The Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) is publicly condemning the UGDSB layoffs, saying officials opted for “significant staffing cuts despite ongoing understaffing and increasing workload pressures.”
The council calls the cuts part of a broader pattern caused by “chronic underfunding” of education in Ontario since 2018.
Sicoli said the changes reflect the “needed amount” of custodial staff due to decreased enrolment impacting overall revenue.
Enrolment is projected to decrease by about 2%, and the total operating revenue is expected to be 0.5% higher next year than last.
