Education Minister Lisa Thompson persisted in insisting Friday that no instructors will lose their jobs due to the Progressive Conservative authorities’ cuts.
In her first public comment, because the Star found out Thursday night time that three,475 coaching jobs would be eliminated over 4 years to store $851 million, Thompson defended the changes.
“We have proposed an attrition-primarily based technique to restoring balance and sustainability by way of no longer filling a complete of 3,475 teacher vacancies that arise whilst teachers give up or retire,” she stated.
“Most importantly, our plan ensures that … No teachers could be laid off.”
But teachers’ unions and faculty board officers say the authorities’ math doesn’t upload up, and consider greater jobs could be eliminated, in particular, because of proposed will increase to common magnificence sizes.
“We have the proper purpose to believe that (three,475 eliminated jobs) is a below-projection,” stated Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF).
“We’re nevertheless speaking about, one way or any other, the loss of lots of teaching positions within the province, elevated elegance sizes that go with that, and the loss of path options for students.”
Those varieties of worries are why the OSSTF and 4 different unions are making plans for a rally in assist of public schooling out of doors Queen’s Park on Saturday, beginning at noon.
On Thursday, extra than a hundred,000 students walked out of faculties across Ontario to protest larger elegance sizes.
Like Premier Doug Ford, Thompson blamed the training unions for the scholar-led motion.
Provincial Politics
No teachers could be laid off in fee-slicing, Ontario’s schooling minister says
By Robert BenzieQueen’s Park Bureau Chief
Isabel TeotonioEducation Reporter
Fri., April five, 2019timer5 min. Examine
Education Minister Lisa Thompson insisted on Friday that no instructors will lose their jobs due to the Progressive Conservative government’s cuts.
In her first public remark since the Star discovered Thursday night that three,475 coaching jobs would be eliminated over 4 years to shop $851 million, Thompson defended the adjustments.
“We have proposed an attrition-based totally method to restoring stability and sustainability through no longer filling a total of three,475 trainer vacancies that occur when instructors give up or retire,” she stated.
“Most importantly, our plan ensures that … No instructors might be laid off.”
But teachers’ unions and faculty board officers say the government’s math doesn’t upload up, and consider greater jobs can be eliminated, especially due to proposed will increase to average magnificence sizes.
“We have exact cause to accept as true with that (three,475 removed jobs) is an under-projection,” stated Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF).
“We’re still speakme about, one manner or every other, the loss of lots of coaching positions within the province, multiplied class sizes that go along with that, and the loss of direction options for college kids.”
Those kinds of issues are why the OSSTF and four other unions are planning a rally in support of public education outside Queen’s Park on Saturday, beginning at midday.
More than 100,000 college students walked out of faculties across Ontario to protest larger class sizes on Thursday.
Like Premier Doug Ford, Thompson blamed the schooling unions for the student-led action.
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“Since coming to the workplace, we asked Ontario’s teachers’ unions to enroll in us in an awesome religion partnership in resolving those really demanding situations. The fact is that there is a lot of work to do,” she said.
“Our government desires to paintings co-operatively with union companions on the real demanding situations going through our province’s training machine. However, we can no longer be distracted by using union methods designed to preserve their manipulation over the education finances.”
Thompson charged that the preceding Liberal governments of Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty correctly ceded the machine to unions, whose “precedence has no longer been scholar fulfillment.”
“The truth is that Ontario’s trainer unions had been exceeded the manipulate of the education machine for the beyond 15 years,” she said. “Over the closing decade and a half of, Ontario has delivered thirteen,000 greater instructors and extra than nine,700 early formative years schooling workers.”
That 11 in keeping with cent increase in hiring came about at the same time as enrolment changed into declining via almost one in keeping with cent, she introduced.
“Ontario has a far decrease pupil-to-instructor ratio than most of the country and, yr over year, instructors’ salaries and benefits have improved whilst college students continue to fall in the back of in crucial subjects like math.”
NDP MPP Marit Stiles (Davenport) warned Ontario’s “graduation fees are at threat because students gained’t get the attention they need” way to Ford’s spending reduction scheme.
“School forums had been warning us for weeks now that Doug Ford’s deep cuts to training are going to take thousands of teachers out of schools,” stated Stiles.
“Cramming more college students into each classroom and having fewer adults in each school is going to hurt kids. By getting rid of lots of teachers, Ford is taking away one-on-one assist while students want it,” she said.