Sixteen new teachers will be hired for Durham schools under the Ontario government’s schools reopening plan, according to stats provided by the Liberal Party.
The party said this was too little.
A media statement by Ontario Liberal Party leader Steven Del Duca said the SickKids’ report, released last week, makes it clear that a proper plan must include smaller class sizes and a significant amount of new caretakers (custodians and cleaning staff).
Liberal Party plan proposes class sizes of up to 15 students. Doug Ford too announced secondary schools class cohorts of up to 15 students.
However, the Liberal Party statement said the plan falls short of the basic standards set out by SickKids and ignores recommendations from school boards, teachers, education workers, healthcare associations, and parents.
“Parents in Durham have been waiting anxiously for a plan to reopen schools safely – Doug Ford gave them one written on the back of a napkin,” said Del Duca. “None of the concerns parents raised have been addressed. None.”
Prior to the government’s reopening plan, Del Duca had released his party’s ‘Plan to Help Our Students’ last week.
To reopen safely, the Liberal plan would fund 1,100 new classrooms in Durham, which are necessary to allow for physical distancing. Under Doug Ford’s Conservatives, there will be no new spaces, the statement said.
The Liberal plan would support 830 new teaching positions in Durham to help keep class sizes small. Doug Ford’s plan only supports 16, it said.
To keep classes and schools clean, the Liberal plan creates 350 new caretaker positions in Durham. The Conservatives will create 42. That’s about 1 for every 4 schools, the statement pointed out.
“What Doug Ford gave us isn’t a plan to safely reopen schools – what he gave us was irresponsible. It doesn’t provide the smaller class sizes we need or enough resources to keep schools clean. It’s a dangerous roll of the dice with our kids’ safety,” said Del Duca.
No verification of the Liberal Party’s stated numbers has been received from the Doug Ford government.
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