For Your Information

Ontario Education Unions Speak Out at Pre-Budget Consultations

Ontario education unions participated in the Ontario 2020 pre-budget consultations to speak out against the seriousness of cuts to public education funding being implemented over the next few years, which, if not reversed, will seriously impact the quality of education in Ontario. They rejected government misrepresentation of the province's finances and spoke of the negative impact cuts to funding of social programs are having, not just for education, but for the most vulnerable across the board.

Below are extracts from submissions by three education unions to Ontario's 2020 pre-budget consultations:

Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF)

OSSTF represents more than 60,000 members, including teachers and over 15,000 education workers including educational assistants, child and youth workers, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, and many others employed in Ontario's elementary and secondary English and French language schools, as well as the university sector.

The introduction to the OSSTF brief points out:

"The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO) released a report on September 26, 2019, detailing the alarming fact that the projected growth in Ministry of Education spending was well below education cost drivers (school-age population and inflation) over the next four years. This means that compared to the 2018-2019 school year, despite an overall increase in funding available to school boards, there will be significantly less per pupil funding, compared to previous years, to provide a high quality education to the growing population. In fact, according to the government memo (2019: B14), per pupil funding is already down $54 per student in the first year of a multi-year plan of significant cuts."

"Beyond education" the OSSTF points out that "overall program spending in Ontario is already dead last in Canada" and adds that "the FAO calculated that program spending will be cut a further 10 per cent over the next five years to pay for tax cuts that have yet to be announced. At the same time, the Ontario government collects the lowest total revenue per person. This combination is placing a severe strain on programs in Ontario and will no doubt have a negative impact on education outcomes for students, in turn weakening Ontario's workforce and, ultimately, our economy."[1]

Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO)

ETFO has approximately 76,000 members, 73 per cent of whom are teachers, 26 per cent occasional teachers and the remainder are professional support or educational support personnel, designated early childhood educators, etc.

In its brief submitted on January 23, EFTO said the government has relied on a narrative of inflated deficits to justify deep cuts to public spending and called out the government's claim that the provincial deficit inherited from the previous government stood at $15 billion (subsequently revised to $14.5 billion).[2], The reality is that Ontario spends less per-capita on public programs than any other province or territory in Canada. Furthermore, the FAO review of provincial finances found the provincial deficit for 2018-19 was closer to $7.4 billion, roughly half of what the government claimed.

EFTO also stated that "the government has chosen to demonize educators and the organizations that represent them, and trample on their right to free and fair collective bargaining guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The unilateral imposition of limits to compensation introduced outside of the collective bargaining process by the adoption of Bill 124, has shown Ontarians that the government does not respect the rights of workers, and that it is not interested in good faith negotiations."

Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA)

OECTA represents 45,000 teachers employed by Ontario's English Catholic school boards. They teach on a full-time, part-time, or occasional basis in elementary and secondary schools, or in continuing education programs.

OECTA pointedly stated in its brief that the government is "misleading Ontarians by wildly inflating the provincial deficit." OECTA stated: "The hallmarks of the government's approach -- fiscal austerity, haphazard decision making, and false or misleading statements to the public -- have been nowhere more apparent than in education."

"The government regularly claims it has made a $700 million investment in education this year," OECTA states. "But nearly $690 million of this is for the so-called attrition protection fund, which is a short-term solution meant to mask the loss of teaching positions that would result from the government's planned class size increases and mandatory e-learning regime over the next four years, until the next election [...]"

"The truth is that the core per-pupil funding grant for elementary and secondary education has been cut by more the $600 million. In addition, funding for programs and supports for vulnerable students has been cut by $230 million [...]"

"It is simply not possible to reduce spending in education, health, social services, and other areas without negatively affecting the well-being of individuals and families [...] While we recognize the government's ideological preferences, we will continue to point out that their mandate and responsibility is to ensure the long-term health and prosperity of all Ontarians."[3]

Notes

1. OSSTF brief

2. ETFO brief

3. OECTA brief

This article was published in

Number 6 - February 19, 2020

Article Link:
For Your Information: Ontario Education Unions Speak Out at Pre-Budget Consultations

    

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