Ford’s education plan for 2022-2023 falls far short of what Ontario students, educators, and other education workers deserve

BY PAUL JUNOR

Since the election of the PC-led Ford government in 2018, the four education unions have consistently publicly displayed their concerns about the on-going cutbacks, cancellation of programs, and reductions in public education services. The release of the provincial budget on Tuesday, April 26^th, 2022, has provoked profound dismay and utter disapproval.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) released a press release titled, “Ontario budget does not repair damage done to public education over the last four years.”  Karen Brown, President of ETFO states, “Ford’s education plan for 2022-2023 falls far short of what Ontario students, educators, and other education workers deserve. Their legacy of funding cuts and chaos in the education sector cannot be dismissed or forgotten as we head into a critical provincial election. Ontarians cannot afford another four years of Ford.”

The press release goes further to state that the Ford government is trying to woo voters with this budget by turning a blind eye to what its cuts have done to public education in the last four years. ETFO reinforced that these cutbacks occurred during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its Covid protocols did not ensure that the safety of teachers and students was prioritized. ETFO considers it important that Ontarians become aware of each party’s political platforms as the election approaches.

It lists five areas that each voter should consider before they cast their votes which are:

• Lowering class sizes to improve student learning, support for students, and safety
• Caps for Kindergarten classes and grades 4 to 8
• Protecting the highly successful Kindergarten staffing model that includes a teacher and designated early childhood educator
• Ending hybrid learning
• Delivering additional support for students with special education needs
• An independent review of the funding formula

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) released a press release titled, “Students in Ontario Short-changed by Ford Government Again; Education Remains Underfunded.” President Karen Littlewood states, “The Ford government‘s long-overdue budget announcement does not include any new and certainly doesn’t have any historic investments in education. Instead, it deceptively puts back some of Ford’s previous cuts to education, moves federal money for child care into education, and fails to keep up with inflation. Critical investments in our schools and our students are needed and they are needed now.”

The press release notes that there is about $2.5 billion under spending in education and in the post-secondary sector, and there will be no attempt to deal with the $17 billion in school repair backlog.

President Littlewood concluded, “Students in Ontario deserve better than the planned $12.3 billion cuts from education over the next nine years and increasing threats of privatization. We need a new government that will lead the province to a full and equitable recovery from COVID-19 and make the needed investments to benefit students and to set them for future success.”