Despite “splashy announcements” by the provincial government, Niagara’s teachers’ unions are expressing frustration around funding shortfalls, warning they will lead to fewer resources and services for students in the classroom.
Last month, the Ministry of Education released a new format for school board funding, introducing a restructured version of the Grants for Student Needs, called the Core Education Funding.
The government announced an increase of $745 million to the core fund, a $28.6-billion investment in total. It said it’s investing more than $70 million to improve math funding, more than $95 million in student literacy and an increase of $117 million to the special education fund.
While the announcements sound good, Brian Barker, president of Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) Niagara, said the reality is “very different.”