Raising the Standard
In running for Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee, I have come across a plethora of issues that I was oblivious to. Needless to say, things are worse than I even imagined. So, while the educational system must provide good governance, parents, teachers and trustees should hold the system accountable because it is not always transparent, which can lead to underfunding, sidelining of trustees and mismanaged class-sizes.
To begin with, the Ontario education system is receiving less funding per student after inflation, which means less resources going to the classrooms. What that means in layman's terms is that according to the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO) and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, inflation-adjusted education funding per student in Ontario remains lower than when the current provincial government took office in 2018. Meaning educational funding is $220 lower per student than in 2018–19, creating a whopping $453 million shortfall for the 2026–27 school year.
So, what exactly does the funding go toward?
The $13,834 to $14,561 per-student budget pays for the following items broken down by six core funding pillars or education envelopes:
The Six Core Funding Pillars
Classroom Staffing Fund: This has the largest share and pays for the salaries and benefits of teachers, staff, early childhood educators, and education assistants (EAs). According to People for Education, the province stipulates this amount based on a strict maximum student-to-teacher ratios.
Learning Resources Fund: This covers the resources and tools students use daily, specifically textbooks, classroom supplies, computers/software, library services, and guidance counselors.
Special Education Fund: This supports students with special education needs. It pays for specialized equipment, psychological assessments, speech-language pathology, and additional para-professional support staff, according to Ontario.ca.
School Facilities Fund: This keeps the physical schools open, paying for heating, lighting, cleaning, routine maintenance, and school building repairs. The province calculates this using a formula based on square footage per student (e.g., funding 104 sq. ft. per elementary student).
Student Transportation Fund: This goes toward the cost of operating school buses that get students to and from schools, adjusting for regional needs such as longer rural routes.
School Board Administration Fund: This is the smallest share and covers the back-end infrastructure needed to keep the school system running, including school board trustees, directors, IT administration, compliance reporting, and parent engagement committees. Learn more here.
That means money allocated for one pillar legally cannot be moved or spent on something else. Consequently, with the TDSB serving approximately 235,000 to 239,000 students in 579 schools across all of Toronto, “How do we make sure students don’t get lost in the numbers?” (Instagram).
Secondly, the provincial government has taken over full control and authority from the school boards, citing mismanagement of funds (though many reported that is false), and has appointed a single supervisor, Rohit Gupta. However, now the elected trustees are temporarily stripped of their governance and the once 26 TDSB trustee ward is now condensed to 12. That is why this election is so important; because the people of Toronto still need people prepared to represent students, parents, teachers and the community when our democratic right is restored.
Thirdly, is the issue of class sizes. The running narrative is that Gupta has justified scrapping the elementary class size cap. But the whole thing is confusing, because on one hand teachers, pundits and parents are rowing over class sizes, claiming that they are too big. And on the other hand they are saying Rohit crap it the 32 students per class put in place by TDSB.
Which is it? Do we want to see class sizes go up to 32 students or do we want them to stay at the provincial level of 24.5 students per class? There seems to be a lot of fear-mongering and conundrum. However, there are still some legitimate reasons for concerns.
Notwithstanding, Gupta defended his position stating that the TDSB was the only school boards in Ontario to have imposed its own standalone class cap of 32 students. He further emphasized that class sizes remain within the provincial caps and averages established by the Ministry of Education. That allows for an average of 24.5 students per class across grades 4 to 8. Yet, the broader issue is whether a classroom can meet a provincial requirement without leaving educators struggling to meet each student needs.
Historically, only 4% of classes province-wide exceeded 30 students, according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). Still, about 45% of all Grade 4 to 8 classes across Ontario have seen between 25 and 29 students in a class, especially in large urban boards like the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), where overcrowding is more prevalent. However, the Grades 1 to 3 primary classrooms typically adhere to a strict provincial cap of 23 students. Still, the regulations fluctuate significantly for Kindergarten and the older elementary grades (ontario.ca).
That is why my goal is to raise the standard of education, quality of care, accountability and opportunity for all students and teachers to thrive is even more urgent. My concern, as a trustee, is not simply how many students we can legally place in a classroom. It is whether students are receiving the quality of care, attention and opportunity they need to succeed, and whether teachers have the conditions necessary to teach effectively.
To learn more, see my priorities.
