FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2026
Elementary Teachers of Toronto Condemn Devastating Staffing Cuts Imposed by the Ford Government
Toronto, ON — The Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT) is raising alarm over sweeping and unprecedented staffing cuts proposed by the Ford government for the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), warning they will have devastating consequences for students, families, and education workers across the city.
The TDSB provided ETT with long-delayed information on elementary staffing levels for the upcoming school year. This information would normally have been made public in early March under the oversight of elected Trustees. Instead, these decisions are now being driven behind closed doors under the direction of Minister Calandra and the Provincial Government.
The proposed cuts include:
- 483.5 elementary teaching positions — nearly one-fifth of the workforce
- Elimination of all 145 Elementary teachers in Model Schools, which serve school communities identified as having the highest needs
- 72 ESL teachers
- 9 Teacher Librarians
“This is a dismantling of essential supports that students rely on every day,” said ETT President Helen Victoros. “The scale of these cuts will be felt in every classroom and in every community across Toronto.”
“They will hit hardest in those schools where students already face systemic barriers,” she added.
For years, Model Schools have received additional staffing to reduce class sizes and provide targeted supports for students. These schools, ranked highest on the TDSB’s Learning Opportunities Index, currently benefit from approximately 150 additional teachers to support young learners. The elimination of all of these positions will result in even larger class sizes and far fewer supports for students who need them most.
These cuts are part of a broader pattern of underfunding by the Province. Since 2018, the Provincial Government has cut $6.35 billion in education funding when adjusted for inflation and enrolment. These cuts are compounded by an outdated school board funding formula that has not been reviewed in over 20 years and has long failed to reflect the real needs of students.
Last year, rather than addressing these longstanding concerns, the Province accused the TDSB of financial mismanagement and initiated an audit. That audit ultimately confirmed that the Board was providing more support to students than the Province was funding.
“What we are seeing now is the real agenda of Doug Ford and Paul Calandra,” said Victoros. “Instead of fixing a broken funding model, ensuring equity of opportunity for all of our students, regardless of their postal code, and building the schools our students deserve, the government is forcing school boards to slash supports and services to our students to match inadequate funding levels.”
ETT is also raising serious concerns about the lack of transparency in this process. Traditionally, all staffing allocations would be public. This information would be reviewed and scrutinized by publicly elected Trustees, ensuring accountability to parents and communities. Members of the public would have been able to address Trustees and TDSB Senior Staff in public deputations. This year, all those guardrails have been removed.
“Information like the overall staffing allocations, the TDSB Financial Facts Report, the updated Learning Opportunity Index report that would normally be public have been delayed, buried or are simply non-existent this year,” said Victoros. “These decisions are being made in secrecy, driven by Minister Calandra and the provincially appointed Supervisor Gupta, who has no experience in public education; and now we can see why: they represent a significant departure from what our students need.”
The elementary teachers union is warning that the impact of these cuts will be immediate and far-reaching, leading to larger class sizes, reduced supports, and increased strain on already stretched Teachers and school communities, particularly affecting students from marginalized and underserved backgrounds.
ETT is calling on the Provincial Government to:
- Put students first
- Reverse these devastating cuts
- Immediately review and modernize the school funding formula
- Fund public education based on actual student needs
“Our students deserve better,” said Victoros. “Public education should be built on equity, support, and opportunity, not cuts and secrecy to serve the Ford agenda.”
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Media Contact:
Matt Dusenbury
Communications & Media Relations
Elementary Teachers of Toronto
mdusenbury@ett.on.ca
