Teachers say the government’s education cuts could hurt special needs children.
On Saturday, April 6th, teachers, parents, and union leaders from all parts of the province came to Queens Park in droves to protest the PC government’s proposed cuts to education.
Protesters were carrying signs questioning the premier’s leadership, as well as that of his Education Minister, Lisa Thompson.
Among those protesting was NDP leader Andrea Horwath.
Horwath led the crowd in an anti-government chant. She accused Premier Ford of playing politics with Ontario’s education, and of going ahead with his proposed cuts without properly consulting teachers on the front line of the issue.
None of the premier’s MPP’s attended the rally, but almost all of them were live tweeting their views of the event.
The main issues on the table
All six unions had their own set of concerns. The main issues on the table were class sizes and cuts to full-time teaching jobs.
The government wants to increase class sizes for primary and secondary students.
Primary students can see an increase of up to 1 student per classroom and secondary, 6 –all this without doubling the amount of teachers in the classrooms.
According to the government, the plan is supposed to cut unnecessary spending and make Ontario’s education system more efficient and effective. A memo sent out by the province, to school-boards, says the plan could see over 3,000 “irrelevant “ teaching jobs gone in the next four years, and close to a billion dollars in savings.
All six unions, AEFO, CUPE-Ontario, ETFO, OSBCU, OECTA, OSSTF, issued a joint statement in response to reports of the expected job losses.
“As parents, educators and concerned community members we are standing together to defend high-quality publicly funded education and the optimal learning conditions that all students need and deserve! The Conservative government is proposing cuts that will be damaging to all students and will particularly hurt students with special needs. Our message is simple: Our education system needs investment not cuts.”
Elementary teacher warns of the negative impact increased class sizes might have on students
Rhodora Vanderpool, teacher at St. Angela's Catholic Elementary School, says the government's plan is a betrayal to educators and students.
With more than 20-years of teaching, Vanderpool says the government is misinformed about the issues plaguing Ontario’s classrooms. Rather than increasing class sizes and introducing cuts, Vanderpool says teachers desperately need class sizes reduced and more teachers hired.
“Do they have enough resources for every student? Do they have enough resources for 21st-century learning? Do they have enough for an inclusive classroom? Very often teachers across Ontario purchase their own materials for their kids. Things as easy as pencils, pencil crayons, and now we are talking about 21st-century learning. Is every child going to have what they need to make sure that they are successful?”
It’s not yet clear when the final decision on Ontario’s new education plan will be made. However, teachers like Vanderpool say the plan is too ridiculous to become law–especially after so much backlash from educators.
Other proposed changes and reasoning behind them
Cellphones
“In response to this feedback, the Provincial Code of Conduct will be updated to prohibit cellphone use in schools during instructional time, as of September 2019. “
“Use of cellphones during instructional time will be permitted under the following circumstances:”
For educational purposes, as directed by the educator.For health and medical purposes.To support students with special education needs.
EQAO
“The government will work with EQAO on promising themes in education:”
Transferable skills like collaboration, problem-solving and citizenship.
Supporting greater parent engagement.Using digital platforms for student learning, assessment and evaluation.
Learning from other high-performing education jurisdictions.
Assessing learning in ways that feel comfortable for students.
Providing useful feedback to teachers and parents.
By: Niza Nondo
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