The Ontario government says it will provide a record $30.3 billion in funding for schools next year, as the province’s head of education promises to be “relentless” in holding school boards accountable on their spending.
“I have been clear with school boards across the province that we expect every dollar to be spent on directly supporting students, parents and teachers,” Education Minister Paul Calandra said in a statement Friday.
The 3.3 per cent increase over the 2024-2025 funding includes $16.5 billion to support classroom staff, $4.7 billion for librarians, guidance counsellors and mental health workers, as well as $3.9 billion for special education and $3 billion for operating costs such as maintaining, renovating and renewing school buildings.
Spending at Ontario schools made headlines last month after Calandra announced the ministry was investigating three boards, including the public and Catholic boards in Toronto, over alleged financial mismanagement. The Ministry of Education also said it was taking over a board in London which spent nearly $40,000 on a leadership retreat and ordered a Brantford-area board to pay back $190,000 four trustees spent on a trip to Italy to buy art.
Calandra, who took over the education file in March, has threatened to take over the Toronto District School Board as it faces a $58-million deficit. The province’s biggest board has floated closing some of its pools to save money, which Calandra called an “attack” on students and teachers.
In response to the funding, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) and Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), which collectively represent over 140,000 education workers provincewide, said the money doesn’t go far enough.
“Despite repeated warnings from teachers, education workers, students, and their families, this government continues to ignore the real and urgent needs in our schools,” OSSTF president Karen Littlewood said in a statement, noting that over 40 per cent of school boards in Ontario are facing “serious” deficits.
Both unions also said that the $30.3 billion in funding does not address a $17-billion repair backlog.
“Despite claims of record spending, educators across Ontario continue to see the cumulative effects of chronic provincial underfunding: larger class sizes, fewer supports for students (especially those with disabilities), deteriorating school infrastructure, rising violence in schools, and increasing demands placed on under-resourced staff. This isn’t record funding; it’s systemic neglect,” ETFO said.
In a statement to CTV News Toronto, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education echoed Calandra’s initial remarks.
“We expect all school boards across the province to spend every dollar of these funds directly on students, parents, and teachers. While we continue to make these significant investments, we will be relentless in holding school boards accountable for how they spend these funds.”
