The Ford government’s removal of 1.4 billion from Ontario’s budget for public education has forced public school boards to cut public services in order to deliver the required balanced budget. We believe that the TDSB should refuse to cut public education on behalf of the Ford government. The explanations and justifications are false and mask the true impacts of the cuts. The reality is that the cuts to deliver a balanced budget are devastating for our public schools and the students who rely on public school support the most. We call on Trustees to vote NO.
In addition to increased class sizes and a significant loss of high school programs, a balanced budget requires cuts to outdoor education, student supports (psychologists, social workers, speech pathologists, etc.), cuts to libraries, cuts to music in schools, international language programs and much more. The cuts will deepen the already existing inequality among schools and students, and rip the best parts of school out of our public schools. The cuts will disproportionately impact Black, Brown and Indigenous students.
The cuts set up parents to fight each other for the crumbs left on the floor. The response to these cuts cannot be a false choice between busing for French Immersion schools and maintaining speech-language pathologists, or outdoor education, or safe buildings.
Our collective responsibility lies not only in the well-being and success of our own children and the continued funding of the programs they benefit from but in the success and well-being of all the children in our city and our province. We are powerful when we act in solidarity, and together we can fight these attempts to dismantle our public education system.
Students have said no to these cuts, parents have said no to these cuts, and education workers have said no to these cuts. We stand united. Trustees should refuse to perform the impossible task of balancing an underfunded budget, and instead join our demand for the reinvestment in our school system that all students deserve.
We are asking you, our Trustees, to fight these cuts outright. Fight harder, be brave and take bold action because students deserve a fully-funded, equitable education system in this city.
The TDSB votes on the budget on June 19th. Contact your School Board Trustee to urge them to vote NO before June 19th.
