ONTARIO SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS' FEDERATION
Ontario budget smoke and mirrors when it comes to education

Despite the appearance of an increase in funding, the budget presented at Queen's Park is smoke and mirrors when it comes to the province's education system. This confirms the Ford government's determination to significantly weaken Ontario's publicly funded education system and undermine the education of an entire generation of Ontario students. 

The budget reaffirms that average class size ratios in secondary schools will rise from 22:1 to 28:1, and that thousands of teaching positions will be removed from the system.

"The cuts to one in four classroom teachers mean much more than ballooning class sizes," said Harvey Bischof, President of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation. "Tens of thousands of daily classes will disappear and program availability will dwindle. Students simply won't be able to find the courses they want, and in some cases the courses they need in order to graduate."

"The Ford government is determined to move the clock back to the dark days of waning student success and growing drop-out rates," continued Bischof. "Since the Harris government every marker for success, including student achievement and graduation rates, has been on the rise. Today confirms that this government is intent on moving forward with the reforms announced. This has a direct impact on our students who will be disadvantaged for years to come."

"This government is setting the stage for an economic downturn when Ontario cannot supply business and industry with the workforce of the future," concluded Bischof.