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By Victor Kaisar

SD73 Budget Cuts

No ‘Responsible Adults’ hired as SD73 puts controversial plan on hold

Mar 10, 2025 | 1:51 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops-Thompson School District has put its plan to hire Responsible Adults on hold as it continues to discuss the situation with CUPE Local 3500.

It also said no Responsible Adults were hired to fill vacancies among Certified Education Assistant (CEA) positions.

“On January 28, 2025, all CUPE staff in the District were sent a letter from Chair [Heather] Grieve letting them know about the decision to pause the Responsible Adult role and establish a committee with CUPE,” SD73 said in a statement to CFJC Today.

In the statement, SD73 also said there were “misunderstandings” regarding its plans to use Responsible Adults to try and avoid cost overruns in the wake of a multi-million-dollar accounting error.

They note SD73 officials and the Board met with the CUPE Local 3500 executive on Jan. 24, not long after the union raised the alarm, citing the use of “undertrained and underqualified replacements” in place of education assistants.

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“Following that meeting, the District agreed to pause the Responsible Adult decision and establish a committee with District members and CEAs who would meet regularly to discuss and address issues arising for CUPE members,” the SD73 statement said.

The decision to hire Responsible Adults was among a number of measures that SD73 put forward to try and make up the more than $2 million shortfall that it is facing. That decision was panned by CUPE, which also called it an “affront to the dedication and hard work” of CEAs.

“It’s those CEAs who get to know their students, they get to know them well, they understand them like the back of their hand,” CUPE Local 3500 president Dawn Armstrong. told CFJC Today in January. “A responsible adult isn’t going to be able to do the same things that a CEA can do.”

“We have great concerns about it and we do believe that this is going to affect students greatly.”

The move was also criticized by SD73 District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) Chair Bonnie McBride. McBride also said Responsible Adults would only have been required to complete a 20-hour online course before they enter the classroom.

“Parents do not send their children to school to be babysat and we won’t lower the bar there,” McBride said in January. “When we bring people very quickly into a child’s space and life who they are not familiar with and who may not be qualified to take care of them, that would be something we would be concerned about.”

SD73 told CFJC Today it is continuing to work on strategies to address rising relief needs, noting it is still experiencing a shortage of CEA relief coverage.

“The Board and District are looking forward to listening and learning from CUPE employees about their needs in a District-CUPE Committee, including how best to address hiring challenges and relief needs,” the SD73 statement said.

“Through consultation with the CUPE committee, the Board and District will revisit the Responsible Adult decision.

CFJC Today has reached out to CUPE Local 3500 for comment but hasn’t yet heard back.