GUELPH – There is a funding crisis in Ontario’s education system, union officials say.
That’s why two local teacher union representatives delivered a petition with 650 signatures to Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) trustees.
The petition asks trustees to call on the government of Ontario to immediately increase annual education investments, fund school repairs and maintenance, and “end the recruitment and retention crisis to ensure that every student has the teachers and education workers they need to support their success.”
Tim Matthewson and Amy Reinders appeared as a delegation at the UGDSB’s May 27 meeting on behalf of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF), a union that represents over 60,000 Ontario education workers from kindergarten to post secondary.
Within the UGDSB, the OSSTF represents more than 2,000 permanent and occasional high school teachers, educational assistants, early childhood educators, child and youth workers, social workers, psychologists and office, clerical, technical and transportation staff.
“We’re here to talk about a number of issues that our members are seeing in our schools,” Reinders said.
“These issues are not unique to the UGDSB and are happening broadly across the province.”
Matthewson said, “Our education system has been on a slow burn since 2018.
“For years, education workers, as well as those of you in this room, have tried to plug the leaks, but there is a $1,500-per-student funding gap in Ontario, according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
“Cracks are showing in the education system, and they’re getting larger,” Matthewson said.
Reinders said union members in each of the OSSTF’s worker groups are seeing a decrease “in the number of caring adults helping students across the system.”
This decrease has led to “a dramatic increase in the amount of violence experienced in schools,” she noted, with three quarters of OSSTF members reporting more violent incidents.
“This crisis in funding also means less course options, larger class sizes and less individualized attention and instruction for our students,” Reinders added.
“Failure by the province to adequately fund the public education system has also led to schools having to cut programs and extracurriculars,” she said, including rural athletic events and special programming within the UGDSB.
The board has also decreased the amount of art supplies, shop supplies and chemicals for science class due to insufficient funding, Reinders said.
“Funding gaps also mean the repair backlogs worsen,” Matthewson added.
“We regularly hear about problematic cooling systems in older schools, leading to sweltering classrooms and difficult learning conditions,” he said.
“Many school boards across the province are struggling to avoid running a deficit.
“This is not the result of staff misusing sick days or school boards mismanaging funds. It is a result of a provincial government that refuses to increase funding to match the inflation realities of today’s world.”
Matthewson said “as the public’s voice in the Upper Grand it’s important that you as trustees speak out about what’s happening in our schools in this community and across the province.
“Our community deserves to know who they should go to about this.
“Our students – the voices of the next generation – deserve a better education than the one that the Ford government is currently delivering.”
He added, “And that’s why we’re here today, calling on Upper Grand’s board to pass a motion to write a letter to the government of Ontario that addresses the concerns that we’ve highlighted in the petition we brought to you this evening.”
The board did not pass such a motion, but deferred the request to the finance and facilities committee, which meets on June 17.
Trustee Alethia O’Hara-Stephenson said “funding for education has not kept up with the increased costs of inflation.
“However … the Ministry of Education has just released information last week about education funding for 2025-26, and our staff have not yet reported to the board on its impact, and need additional time to do their due diligence,” she said, suggesting the deferral.
Trustee Luke Weiler expressed appreciation to Reinders and Matthewson, noting “they reflected a number of concerns that I’ve been hearing as a trustee over the years.”
Education Minister Paul Calandra’s press secretary Emma Testani told the Advertiser “This year, Ontario is providing a record $30.3 billion in core education funding to school boards.”
She said the ministry “will be relentless in holding school boards accountable for how they spend these funds.
“That is why last week, we introduced legislation that, if passed, would strengthen government oversight, accountability and transparency in school boards,” Testani said, referring to the proposed Supporting Children and Students Act.
