Ontario’s education crisis: Ford’s underfunding and what the opposition parties plan to do

Within the Peel District School Board, the practice of streaming was perpetuating generational harm onto young Black students attempting to learn and build the foundation for their future. 

Approximately 85 percent of PDSB’s 155,000 students identify as a visible minority. Before a provincial take-over of the scandal-plagued board, and the release of 27 binding directives to improve the education experience for the PDSB’s diverse student body, Black students were suspended for minor infractions such as wearing a hoodie or hoop earrings, while their white counterparts rarely faced such punishment for doing the same. Black students were routinely streamed into non-academic pathways, denying them opportunities for the rest of their life; white students were disproportionately over-represented in gifted programs; and the teaching and administrative ranks were dominated by white educators and senior decision makers who did not reflect the student body. 

Ontario began introducing destreaming initiatives across the province in 2021, meant to eliminate the harmful practice of placing Black and other visible minority students into “applied” learning pathways instead of university streams, usually without any justification. Reversing this harmful practice was advocated by several prominent groups, including the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario and People for Education—who warned it would require dedicated and sustained resources to ensure the shift away from streaming was successful. 

“To be successful, this new strategy must come with a commitment to provide adequate resources, which may include smaller class sizes for grades 9 and 10, increased support staff, team teaching, as well as changes to teacher education,” People for Education officials warned in a July 2020 press release.

Doug Ford did not listen.

Doug Ford faces backlash over education cuts ahead of the snap election he called.

(The Pointer Files)

While trying to use the destreaming push as a public relations win among Ontario’s rapidly diversifying population, his PC government came nowhere close to providing enough resources for schools to ensure the elimination of applied and academic course streams was done effectively. 

The botched rollout, which has led to pushback among some educators, even within the PDSB where the harm was so publicly highlighted, is just one of the many harms inflicted on Ontario students by the Ford administration. 

Ontario has 5,000 less classroom educators compared to 2018 and principals across the province are reporting daily staff shortages of teachers and support positions. 

“Staffing has become the number one area of stress and concern for school administrators. We have absences that we cannot fill daily, and we have to use unqualified people to fill the vacancies. The impact is massive and is most certainly contributing to the learning gaps and learning environments in our schools,” one elementary school principal in the GTA told a People for Education survey. 

The latest EQAO testing results show students across Ontario are performing worse in some areas compared to when Ford was first elected in 2018. The 2024 test results show fewer students in grades 3 and 6 are meeting the provincial standards for reading and writing than the year before. Math results remain steady, but low. A far cry from the widespread reform Ford promised before becoming premier. Almost immediately after being elected, teachers’ unions began raising red flags about understaffed classrooms and large class sizes, leading to rolling strikes in 2020. It was a sign of things to come. 

According to Ontario’s big education units, the cuts to education spending total $3.2 billion in 2024-2025, with students across the province receiving, on average, $1,500 less in core funding annually compared to 2018 when Ford was first elected. 

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is among the many unions lambasting the PCs for what President Karen Brown labels a “deliberate attack on public education.”

“Sending out $200 cheques to voters before an election is a sign the Conservatives are out of ideas and deserve to be out of office,” Brown stated in a press release late last year. “It is outrageous that the Ford government is choosing to cut funding for public schools while using Ontarians’ own money to attempt to buy their votes. The message is loud and clear: public education does not matter to this government.”

The cuts have not only come in the form of programming for students, but the infrastructure they rely on. Ontario is currently sitting on a backlog of school repairs that totals $31.4 billion dollars over the next 10 years. 

René Jansen in de Wal, President of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, states the decision making of the Ford government has left Ontario’s education system in a crisis situation. 

“This election must be a turning point. We need leaders who are ready to properly fund our schools, our healthcare system, and the crucial public services Ontarians depend on,” Jansen in de Wal stated in a January press release. “Catholic teachers strongly oppose the opportunistic timing of this election as this move serves as nothing more than a costly distraction from the Ford government’s many failures and its continued refusal to invest in Ontario’s future. However, this is a chance to make a change for the better and elect an education-friendly government that will prioritize students and families.”

Both the Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie and NDP leader Marit Stiles are vowing to undo much of the harm caused by the PCs. 

Crombie’s platform outlines key investments in students, educators, and infrastructure. It includes doubling annual capital funding to eliminate the school repair backlog and build 90 new schools over four years. She pledges to hire more education workers and mental health professionals, lower student-to-staff ratios and reverse Ford’s $1,500 per student funding cut. Crombie is also proposing a province-wide lunch program to ensure no child goes to class hungry, while she will also strengthen French education and skilled trades programs.

“We are going to get the basics right for our students and teachers and get back to the basics in the classroom," Crombie stated in a February 21 press release. “It’s time to change the government.”

The PCs are also proposing big investments in education—while accepting no accountability for the money they have taken out of the system over the last seven years. The PCs are pledging $1.3 billion for 30 new schools and 15 expansions, aiming to create over 25,000 student spaces and 1,600 child-care spots. Ford has pledged to cut red tape to accelerate school construction and prevent further school closures–while not offering any specifics about what “red tape” he is referring to after being in power with a majority government for seven years. 

Stiles and the NDP vow to enhance Ontario's education system by allocating an extra $830 million annually to eradicate the repair backlog, ensuring that schools are safe and well-maintained. The Party’s strategy also focuses on hiring more teachers, educational assistants, and mental health specialists while launching a universal school food program to guarantee that no child attends school hungry. 

The Ontario Green Party, guided by Mike Schreiner, commits to an immediate increase of $1,500 in per-student funding to counteract the crippling cuts made by Ford, along with initiating an independent review of the funding formula for Ontario's education system. The Party’s approach stresses the importance of smaller class sizes, hastening school repairs and bolstering mental health resources for students.

A newly released report shows just how deep the PC cuts have been. 

The Special Education Survey from the Ontario Autism Coalition (OAC) highlights the systemic failures of the PCs in supporting students with special needs. The survey gathered responses from 429 families across 60 school boards and found that 89 percent of students required an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), yet many parents expressed dissatisfaction with its implementation, with the majority of families reporting that some or none of the requirements of the IEP were ever implemented. The survey found 50 percent of families consistently worried about their child’s safety at school while 37 percent reported that their children were excluded from parts of school life due to inadequate accommodations.

“Together, these findings highlight a systemic issue that places special education in Ontario under significant strain,” the OAC report states. “A clear theme emerges—special education supports are faltering, not due to lack of effort from educators, but because schools and school boards are underresourced and underfunded.”

In response to the OAC report, ETFO President Brown demanded a reassessment of funding policies to ensure all students receive the necessary support.

"Long waitlists and unacceptable delays for special education assessments mean that students are waiting months or even years for critical diagnoses, leaving them without access to the interventions and support they urgently need. This is a crisis manufactured by a government that has prioritized cuts over compassion and austerity over access,” Brown stated. 

This issue is particularly worrisome with Ontario’s Provincial Demonstrations School Branch, schools run by the Province for students who are deaf, blind, deaf-blind and with other disabilities. 

Along with reports of underfunding and crumbling infrastructure, The Pointer has conducted in-depth reporting on the ongoing problems within this system, including allegations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse that have forced the Ontario government to pay out more than $20 million to settle class action lawsuits; and the story of Jane, who is currently suing the Board and the Ontario government for the disturbing harm she endured at E.C. Drury School for the Deaf in Milton. This includes allegations she was blocked by senior administrators from receiving critical assessments that could have identified learning and health issues earlier and prevented significant mental trauma and distress.

Jane (not her real name) attended E.C. Drury School for the Deaf in Milton where she was subjected to horrendous abuse by fellow students, which was allegedly ignored by senior administrators.

(Google Maps)

The ETFO and eight other major educational organizations (Association des directions et directions adjointes des écoles franco-ontariennes, Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-Ontarians, Catholic Principals’ Council, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, Ontario School Board Council of Unions—CUPE, Ontario Principals’ Council, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, Ontario Teachers’ Federation) issued a joint press release on February 19 condemning Ford for the economic crisis he has created for Ontario educational institutions.

"We are facing a critical juncture wherein our publicly funded education system is grappling with severe staff shortages, chronic underfunding, and a pervasive lack of respect. These challenges threaten the very foundation of the education our children and young people deserve," the release highlighted.

In Peel, the Peel District School Board’s (PDSB) 2024-2025 budget detailed the financial strain schools are experiencing, with the board forced to pull $10.95 million from its reserve funds to cover the shortfall in funding. The board was also forced to eliminate 155 teaching positions and five vice-principal jobs, weakening classroom instruction and school leadership. Safety and well-being initiatives saw a $1.2 million reduction, while equity and Indigenous education funding was cut by $288,883, despite mounting student needs.

Meanwhile, school violence continues to rise, with over 45 percent of education assistants and child and youth workers experiencing violent incidents daily, as reported by a CUPE-OSBCU survey. 

“Our future depends on adequately funded public education, and we will not allow this government to dismantle our high-quality public education system. They must be held accountable,” Brown said.

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