Recently unveiled staffing cuts at the Toronto District School Board will likely hit hard at schools supporting disadvantaged students, critics are warning.
“What’s happening right now should raise the alarm bells for every single parent in the province of Ontario, especially for parents that are in school boards right now, where trustees are still in place,” Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT) President Helen Victoros told CP24.com.
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) confirmed Tuesday that nearly 300 teaching positions will be cut across the board for the 2026-27 school year, though it noted those numbers could change.
ETT, the local branch of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO), said they received information about the cuts from the board on March 27. Included in the cuts, Victoros said, were 145 positions at model schools within the board, bringing the count of additional staff down to zero.
“It is devastating to see that with absolutely no consultation, no prior discussion, just behind closed doors, a decision was made to cut all the staffing from that program,” Victoros said.
Model schools meant to boost resources where needed
The TDSB periodically ranks its schools according to external challenges affecting student success. The ranking, known as the Learning Opportunities Index (LOI), is used to identify schools to be included in the Model Schools for Inner Cities program. Additional staff are typically placed in model schools in order to bring down class sizes so that students receive extra attention.
According to information posted on the TDSB’s website, the index “helps to ensure that children who have access to fewer resources at home and in their neighbourhoods have increased access to available resources in their schools.”
According to the TDSB, there could be a reduction of 289 teaching positions next year because of a decline in student enrollment, though the numbers are not yet final.
“The number of teachers is largely based on declining enrolment with the TDSB anticipating nearly 5,000 fewer students in the new school year,” the board said Tuesday.
The TDSB did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the cuts at model schools.
Victoros said she hasn’t been able to get more information from the board either.
“We haven’t been able to confirm anything with TDSB,” she said. “I sent a list of questions to the board last week, and I haven’t heard back yet. I requested a meeting as soon as possible. I don’t have a meeting with them. They haven’t provided me with a time to meet until April 17, which feels very far off because staffing allocations and decisions about staffing are being made right now.”
In a statement, Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) President Michelle Teixeira told CP24 the union has been informed that the staffing allocation for secondary schools at the board has been reduced by 123 full-time equivalent positions for next year, including more than two dozen positions at schools ranked highly on the LOI list.
“We are particularly concerned about the elimination of 30 positions dedicated to supporting schools that rank high on the learning opportunities index (LOI),” Teixeria said. “Schools ranked high on the LOI support our high needs students and it is truly shameful that these positions have been cut.”
Process ‘behind closed doors’
Both Victoros and Teixeria pointed out that the cuts come as the TDSB remains under the control of a provincially-appointed supervisor.
Whereas staffing decisions would normally be debated by elected trustees and board staff in meetings open to the public, this year’s process is taking place away from public scrutiny and input.
“We are concerned that in the absence of trustees, decisions around staffing allocation have been made behind closed doors,” Teixeria said.
The TDSB was placed under supervision last June, with Education Minister Paul Calandra citing financial mismanagement. Trustees have been suspended since then.
In a statement, NDP education critic Chandra Pasma called the TDSB cuts “a direct attack on equity in our education system,” adding that “these cuts are going to hurt the most vulnerable students the most.”
Other recent cuts by ministry-appointed supervisors include a cut to international language and literacy programs at the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
Do you have a child in one of Toronto’s model schools who could be impacted by possible staffing cuts? How would these cuts affect your child and your family? We want to hear from you.
Share your story by emailing us at torontonews@bellmedia.ca with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a CP24/ CTV News Toronto story.
