Teachers' unions in London warn families could feel 'slow burn' of education cuts in new year

The heads of two teachers' unions in London say they're cautiously optimistic for this school year despite significant changes and turmoil at the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), but warn that years of underfunding could soon catch up to classrooms.

Thousands of elementary and high school pupils at London's English-speaking school boards started their new school year on Wednesday and while teachers at the are determined to make it smooth, there are concerns that budget and staffing cuts will create challenges for students, especially at the TVDSB.

"There's always complexities any time you have a funding model that has to cut staff instead of putting additional supports back into the school," said Mike Thomas, president of ETFO Thames Valley, which represents elementary school teachers.

"We see an increase of class sizes, which comes with the additional complexities of students that have needs that aren't being met, so when you have class cuts or staff that's being cut, it has a direct impact upon the day-to-day working conditions."

The beleaguered TVDSB has been facing a ballooning budget deficit and allegations of financial mismanagement in recent months. In April, the Ontario government took over the school board and removed locally elected trustees, instead appointing lawyer Paul Boniferro as its supervisor.

Last month, the board tabled its a preliminary budget under Boniferro's watch.

It projects a $32 million deficit for the 2024-25 fiscal year, a $10.5 million deficit for the upcoming year, and some $22 million in unappropriated accumulated deficit.

To recover the losses, the board plans to cut the equivalent of 139 full-time jobs, including elementary and high school teaching positions.

The financial shortfalls are the result of chronic funding cuts by the province over several years, according to Thomas.

"We're talking tens of millions of dollars that have been taken out of education in Thames Valley alone. That amount adds up each year," he said.

"Teachers have become so resilient to some of the funding cuts that have existed since 2018 that I wouldn't say they became numb to it, but they've managed to operate incredible programs with very little support."

Among the problems educators face are larger class sizes, less support from guidance counsellors, fewer opportunities to access teacher librarians and less funding for extracurriculars and field trips.

That's according to John Bernans, president of OSSTF District 11, representing 2,800 high school workers, including teachers, school psychologists, professional student support personnel and others.

It could be especially problematic for students with special and complex needs, he said.

"As the budgets get tighter and tighter, the ability to provide additional support for students who may be dysregulated is reduced, so frontline staff will have to deal with those students, whereas in the past they may be able to provide some sort of guidance or learning support," Bernans said.

"With fewer supports there, those students may have to sink or swim in regular classes, so that's a big concern, where students may be left behind."

According to Bernans, secondary school students are at a higher risk because they can become disengaged if they don't get the attention or supports they need, sometimes dropping out or not graduating as a result.

As the role of elected trustees has been suspended at the board, and Education Minister Paul Calandra considers eliminating their roles entirely, both Bernans and Thomas said the local representation they provide is important. They said it allows families to have a liaison in the system who could provide input into budgets and programming.

"There's a supervisor who really does not report to parents, is not really available to parents or accountable to them. They're not elected, they are appointed by the provincial government and ultimately answer to them, not the parents. That level of local democracy where people were elected by the constituents in the area has gone," said Bernans.

The union leaders say they want the province to consult with local school boards and frontline unions who understand what the pressure points are and the kinds of supports students need.

"I think over time, families will feel more directly this slow burn of a starving of education funding that's accumulated over years that we're starting to feel more and more," said Bernans.