Special education staff could be cut to address funding issues in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon

Special education staff and other specialized positions supporting schools in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon could be reduced due to funding concerns.

An estimated 300 positions were to be made redundant with the Peel District School Board, union representatives noted earlier this month. Reportedly, the board sent out letters advising staff of the plan but then, more recently began sending out letters rescinding the plan.

Reports indicate that, after a backlash from parents and teachers, not as many specialized positions will be lost. The school board isn’t saying exactly how many positions will be made redundant for the upcoming school year.

The office and support positions are filled by qualified teachers who won’t lose their jobs, the board noted earlier. They will be moved to teaching positions in the school district.

Teachers will continue to be hired to support Peel District School Board central departments, including special education teachers, however, these roles will be made available each year based on annual board budget allocations and system needs, a board spokesperson told insauga.com when asked last week.

“We are now, and over the next few months, in the process of determining central board office staffing allotments for the coming year based on system needs,” the recent statement read.

Earlier the board indicated the reductions were needed due to budget constraints.

The board plans to restaff some of the positions previously made redundant but not all, Jessica Cooper, president, Peel Elementary Teachers’ Local told insauga.com this week.

Cooper said there will be an approximate 30 per cent reduction in central support staff overall.

The special education department has a 17 per cent reduction planned, Cooper said. Some teachers have been recalled into positions while others are being internally hired, she added.

Cooper emphasized that the changes are “a direct result of the chronic underfunding of special education and the Peel District School Board in general.”

As a board overall, the Peel District School Board received less per pupil funding than some other boards, according to numbers published by the province.

The Toronto District School Board, for example, base fee was $12,255 per elementary pupil, and $12,042 per secondary school pupil for the 2023/24 school year. The Peel District School Board base fee was $11,591 per elementary pupil, and $11,439 per secondary school pupil for the 2023/24 school year.

NDP official opposition education critic Chandra Pasma told insauga.com that the current Ontario government is underfunding education.

“School boards are trying to make decisions about which supports to cut because funding is down $1,200,” Pasma said. “All too often, as in this situation, we see that the most vulnerable kids are paying the biggest price for these cuts. This is a policy choice. Doug Ford and Stephen Lecce could make a different choice but they are choosing not to.”

The $1,200 figure comes from the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and refers to per student funding that has declined since 2018.

But Isha Chaudhuri, a spokesperson for Education Minister Stephen Lecce, refutes the $1,200 figure. Chaudhuri told insauga.com the current government has increased funding to public education in Ontario by $700 million and supported the hiring of 2,000 additional educators.

“We have also invested a historic $3.4 billion in our Special Education Grant funding across the province, of which the Peel District School Board has received $227.4 million in funding this year,” Chaudhuri said.

It is the responsibility of school boards to determine the best staffing arrangements to support learning in classrooms, she added.