Ontario is proposing to cut the size of classes from 28 students to 25, according to Education Minister Stephen Lecce.
A province-wide school strike was averted at the last minute a couple of week ago (see below).
“Last week I said that all options were on the table when it came to reaching a deal, and keeping kids in class. To that end, and to ensure we keep kids in class, I instructed my negotiating team to give a proposal to OSSTF that includes reducing the funded average high school class size from 28 students to 25 students,” said Minister Lecce in an issued statement.
However, the proposal has not been accepted by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO).
“The proposal that we received this [Oct 24] morning is, in fact, worse than the Ford government’s original plan to hike average class size ratios to 28:1,” said OSSTF/Feeso President Harvey Bischof. “A move from the current class size ratio of 22:1 to 25:1 would still remove roughly 5,000 teachers from our high schools. And with the removal of locally-enforceable class size caps, there would essentially be no limits on the size of classes into which Ontario students could be squeezed.
“Just as with their initial claims about the provincial deficit – claims that have now been exposed as a gross exaggeration – the Ford government continues to offer bogus numbers and incomplete information in an effort to misdirect the attention of the public. They simply don’t want to acknowledge or discuss the real issue, which is the conditions under which our students are expected to succeed.
“We cannot and will not accept the government’s proposal on class sizes. We will instead continue to advance proposals that are good for students, good for public education and good for the future of Ontario,” concluded Bischof.
OSSTF/Feeso, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.
“This is a reasonable offer, and I am disappointed OSSTF has decided to ignore it and move closer to job action. My team is ready to continue meeting to negotiate a deal that is focused on our students, ensures our children remain in class, and provides the predictability our parents deserve,” Lecce said.
ALSO READ: