The Ford government is, once again, pointing its finger in the wrong direction, blaming school boards for not getting by on less money to fund their operations. For years, boards have routinely been slipping deeper into the water as they beg the Ministry of Education to let them run annual deficits or spoon off their reserve funds to balance their budgets.

Underfunding, overcrowded classrooms, increasing student needs, lack of supports such as school psychologists and dwindling professional health services are all to blame for the increase, researchers say. The problem is compounded by the food insecurity many families are facing and other socio-economic stressors, according to Darby Mallory, a graduate student and co-author of the report.

The Toronto District School Board is considering closing 36 swimming pools, including in the East Toronto community, as it grapples with a projected $58-million deficit for the 2025–26 school year.

The money to pay for music teaching in our schools is there — just not the will. And why would there be any will for cash for the provincial public school system when the Progressive Conservative politicians who control the money have their kids and those of their backers safely ensconced in the gender-segregated scholastic sanctuaries of the lush private school system?

Using public data, The Trillium, along with several other analyses, found that provincial school board funding has declined over the Ford government’s time in office, when inflation is taken into account, exacerbating issues that were present even earlier.

The Fund Our Schools Coalition says the Ford government is to blame for the chronic underfunding in Ontario’s schools.

Join the Fund Our Schools Phone Zap on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 to call MPPs who have the power to change the funding formula! Details on how to join via Zoom will be shared closer to the event date.

Watch as Dan McClean, TDSB Trustee for Ward 2, speaks on the chronic underfunding of our public schools at a meeting in 2024 and remarks that these deficits are not a result of spending.

I received an email today from a fellow teacher—we’ll call them Bob—who was frustrated that their colleague had volunteered to organize a school music concert. They argued that this kind of “volunteer culture” is what ruins working conditions, because it creates pressure for others to do the same. According to Bob, teachers doing unpaid work is the reason other teachers suffer.

As Vice President of the largest teachers’ union in Canada, I have the privilege of speaking with educators every day. I visit their classrooms, walk through their schools, and hear first-hand about their struggles and frustrations. But I also hear something else—skepticism.