TDSB hires 366 new teachers, pushes start date to Sept. 15

Targeting areas of the city hardest hit by COVID-19, Toronto’s public school board will create smaller elementary classes by redeploying 400 elementary teachers and hiring another 366.

It’s also working to find extra space, in public buildings, unused rooms on university and college campuses, and even the Ontario Science Centre, for schools that are already crowded.

And, for all students, school will now start Tuesday, Sept. 15, a week later than originally scheduled.

Trustees approved “option 2” unanimously at a meeting Thursday afternoon after staff worked around the clock to redo elementary classes, addressing both public health and parent concerns. The board’s previous proposal, which shrank classes to 15 to 20 students, was nixed by the education ministry because of an early dismissal to accommodate teacher prep time at the end of the day, to keep costs down.

The new plan “provides a path forward to a staggered school opening that tries to maximize social distancing by putting a focus on schools that are located in areas of the city most affected by the

COVID-19 virus,” said Toronto District School Board chair Alexander Brown. “Our goal is to keep all classes as small as possible throughout the city, and we will continue to partner with Toronto Public Health and work closely with the city to target schools that may require more classroom space as the details of plan become clearer over the next few days.”

The approved plan for Canada’s largest school board will see kindergarten classes drop to an average of 13.3 students in COVID-19 hot spots, especially the city’s northwest corner, compared to 21.6 in other elementary schools across the city.

For Grades 1 to 3, class sizes will average 18.1 students in all schools, down from the current 20 to 23.

And for Grades 4 to 8, averages will be 18.3 in vulnerable communities and 24.1 elsewhere, with an overall average of 22.8 — down from the current 24.5.

The move, which addresses concerns raised by parents and public health, will cost $38.7 million; $29.5 million will come from board reserves, $6.9 million from the ministry and $2.9 million from elsewhere in the board’s budget.

For parents who want their children to learn online at home, class sizes will be larger.

“The health and safety of our students and teachers remain a top priority as learning in our schools begins again,” Brown said.

Premier Doug Ford, speaking Thursday in Orillia where he announced funding for 200 new Provincial police officers, was asked by the Star’s Robert Benzie about hiring more teachers.

“Every board is responsible to hire their teachers. We put money forward,” said Ford, who was referring to a previously announced $30 million and whose government is allowing boards to dip into reserves for an additional $500 million.

“(But) first of all, let me go back: I don’t like the idea of comparing apples and oranges — first of all, two separate groups. But in saying that, if they do want to compare it, we’re giving teachers $30 million right off the hop to hire more teachers, then on top of that we have the reserves.”

He said the Toronto board has $100 million in such funds and could hire 1,000 more teachers. (The board has said much of its contingency funds are spoken for, for future projects and needs.)

“So the reserves are there (from) the rainy day fund and no, I haven’t seen a storm like this in quite some time in my lifetime,” Ford added. “So let’s use the reserves and hire more teachers and … we all work together.”

He again urged teachers’ unions to “put all this political nonsense behind them” and work co-operatively on school reopening.

“The thing is, go back to the beginning of the pandemic, look at what the grocery store clerks that were dealing with hundreds of people at the peak of this pandemic (did); they were sitting there checking hundreds of people out. Look at the truck drivers! Look at our great police officers, firefighters, EMS! Everyone’s stepped up … every single person in this country has stepped up for the call of duty … Now I’m asking the teachers’ union. Now it’s your turn, step up!”

Toronto trustee Parthi Kandavel said the option the board chose means it will run a two per cent budget deficit and “any further deficit spending would have placed our fiscal obligations to areas like long-term disability in jeopardy.”

NDP education critic Marit Stiles commended the board, saying staff and trustees “have basically turned themselves inside out in every direction to try and create a plan and I credit them with this, a plan that addresses the inequities in how COVID-19 hits and the socalled choices families can make.”

However, she added, “it’s clear with two weeks to go that the amount of effort that’s going to be involved to get things ready at this late stage in the game” will be huge.

“The premier put this school year in jeopardy because he stubbornly refused to listen to concerns.”