The head of the Yukon Association of Education Professionals strongly disagrees with Education Minister Jeanie McLean about changes made to the educational assistant (EA) allocation policy and procedures for the upcoming school year. Ted Hupé is also speaking out about his overall disapproval of leadership in the Education department.
“She’s very ill informed, unfortunately,” Hupé said. “This is a monumental change.”
The Education department’s recent changes to EA allocation policy and procedures are “harmful,” according to the signatories of a March 6 letter addressed to McLean. Hupé is among those who signed.
Leaders from the Yukon Association of Education Professionals, LDAY Centre for Learning, Yukon First Nation Education Directorate, Autism Yukon and the Association of School Councils, Boards and Committees all signed the letter.
The decision — which the letter’s authors claim was made unilaterally, without public consultation and absent of ongoing communication with key stakeholders — will result in “inequitable and diminished critical services.”
When initially asked about the changes by the Official Opposition during question period on March 11, McLean told the Yukon legislature that “minor” updates were made for the 2024-25 school year. Those changes were administrative and do not affect how educational assistants are assigned, she said.
The Yukon Party is calling on McLean and the Yukon government to put a pause on and take a second look at the decision.
Per the letter, the new policy and procedures enable the department to distance itself from students’ actual learning needs and reduce service to a new scoring and eligibility matrix.
The letter’s authors state they learned about the changes from worried schools and their communities.
The letter demands the logical reasoning behind the decision. It asks for a copy of a report on the matter. It requests an opportunity to address the stakeholders’ concerns and provide feedback before the “potentially detrimental shift” goes into effect.
McLean said the department will work “directly with our partners” to deal with the concerns in the letter addressed to her.
The letter was carbon copied to a few others, including Scott Kent, the Yukon Party’s education critic, hence his line of questioning.
Kent has attempted to urge the Yukon government to suspend its new EA allocation policy through a motion put forward on the floor of the legislature.
He has called on the house to issue an order to produce papers, in this case, the full report done by EnGauge Consulting prepared for the Education department about the allocation framework for EAs.
The Yukon government’s contract registry lists a contract worth just over $49,000 to “review and create [an] education allocation framework” ending March 31.
McLean indicated in the house that the report had already been received.
“We are still working to analyze some of the content within the report,” she said.
The News requested a copy of the report originally provided to the department.
“The report is not yet finalized,” department communications director Clarissa Wall said by email. “Once it is, and we’ve had a chance to review it internally, we will be sharing it publicly and with our partners.”
Hupé wants to see that report.
During a March 14 interview with the News, Hupé said he was told there would be discussions around the policy and procedures, but on Feb. 9 the new allocation process was formally issued.
He said he spoke with an assistant deputy minister, who the News has chosen not to name. Hupé said they told him they hadn’t read the report, which suggests to him that the report’s findings weren’t used as part of the decision-making process.
Hupé is hearing that the changes make no sense.
He said the department wants to provide an EA for every primary classroom regardless of the needs in that class.
Hupé said the rubric has been updated so students who are currently getting support through an EA won’t be eligible for one next year.
“This process, which is new, is all about simplicity,” he said. “There’s simplicity. Not for the schools [or] for the school-based teams. Not for the teachers. Not for the principals. Not for the kids.”
His message for the minister is: Get better information.
Hupé openly complained about what he considered “low-quality leadership” of the department.
Furthermore, he believes the “reimagining inclusive and special education” agenda, which the minister and department officials often tout, is a facade that has little impact on students, and little has happened because of it.
“I’m very disappointed,” he said.
The Yukon Party pressed the minister on the topic in the legislative assembly again on March 14.
Following the question period, McLean and deputy minister Mary Cameron spoke to the News in the minister’s office, with the director of cabinet communications on hand.
Cameron said that while the report is “still in draft,” her team is reviewing parts of the report for their work on this process.
“The team at the department is working with the consultant on those final pieces of analysis,” Cameron said.
“The work that the team is doing in totality is based on a lot of research and a lot of pieces that support the best way to go forward.”
McLean stood by her position that the changes were administrative and not substantive.
“We’ve set out to ensure that children do not fall through the cracks,” she said.
“Children that are receiving supports now should continue receiving supports.”
The department leaders indicated the department is adding more EAs next school year.
When asked if she is considering pausing the changes, McLean said, “There are several steps that we still have before us to ensure that we understand the concerns and we’re able to create clarity around those issues and move towards bringing us back to the same page and continuing the good work together.”
The News gave the minister and deputy minister an opportunity to defend themselves and their department against Hupé’s comment on the department’s leadership quality.
“We’ve assembled a team that is qualified, hardworking and value-based, compassionate and very committed to the work that they’re doing,” McLean said.
Cameron said she is a licensed, accredited teacher and has worked as a principal. She noted central administration has “a lot of educators” working on and supporting its work.
“This is a labour of love,” she said.
Cabinet communications stated by email that the department sent an email about the EA allocation process to principals on Feb. 9, although communications may have gone out prior to that.
Allocation requests for educational professionals other than teachers were due to Student Support Services on March 6, per the email.
Superintendents will have a chance to review requests from their area schools, and requests will be compiled and scored by Student Support Services before it gives input on the allocations and meets with schools about the allocations.
According to the email, EA allocation letters are expected to go out to schools in April, and schools will post EA positions in April or May.
Comment Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
