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Hamilton Spectator
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Ontario is pausing its curriculum overhaul. Here's what that will mean for students
Ontario's surprise decision to postpone curriculum changes — including mandatory instruction on the Holodomor, the Holocaust and Black Canadian history, as well as an overhaul of kindergarten — has drawn disappointment from advocates, but teachers' unions say it gives educators much-needed time to prepare meaningful lessons. 'This provides a valuable opportunity to get it right,' said Martha Hradowy, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, said of the one-year delay. She noted the timing of the announcement was not ideal and created 'some uncertainty,' but the pause 'allows for better planning, clearer communication and more comprehensive professional development.' The elementary teachers union also received no advance notice. 'We were surprised — pleasantly so,' said ETFO president Karen Brown. 'We're not opposed to a revised and updated curriculum; educators want that, and they want what's best for their students. But they need time to prepare. I'm glad (the ministry) is listening.' Both Hradowy and Brown said in the absence of any concrete guidelines from the government, teachers had been expressing concerns they would not be ready under the original timeline. Curriculum changes set to take effect this fall were introduced more than a year and a half ago. The province planned to revise Grade 10 history to include enhanced mandatory instruction on the Holodomor , the Holocaust, and Black Canadian histories and to add financial literacy to Grade 10 math. Kindergarten's play-based approach , introduced in 2010, was to be revamped in favour of a 'back-to-basics' focus on reading, writing and math. But last Friday, tacked on to the end of a news conference about the province taking over four school boards due to alleged financial mismanagement, Education Minister Paul Calandra announced curriculum changes would be shelved for a year. He said the delay would allow time to develop 'a more central, consistent' approach and give teachers the opportunity to properly prepare. 'Students cannot afford to wait,' Josh Landau, director of Ontario government relations at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, told the Star. 'In a time where antisemitism has risen to levels not seen in recent memory, there remains a troubling lack of understanding about the Holocaust, its impacts and the persistent dehumanization of Jews that reverberates even today.' Calling the delay a setback, Tiffany Ford, executive director of education non-profit P.E.A.C.H. , said 'these updates are crucial for providing Ontario students with a more inclusive and accurate understanding of history. While we understand the ministry is managing multiple priorities, we urge the government to uphold its commitment to these curriculum changes.' Debbie King, chair of the Black trustees' caucus at the Ontario Public School Boards' Association, said she was hopeful the pause would give teachers more support and time to prepare, but in the meantime 'educators should not fear reprisal or other potential consequences for supplementing or extending the existing curriculum with applicable content and materials in culturally responsive ways. 'Many school boards have already begun meaningful work in this area,' she added, 'but sustained and system-wide progress requires co-ordination, collaboration and commitment.' Roma Dzerowicz, project manager of the Holodomor National Awareness Tour — a mobile classroom experience about the 1932–33 famine-genocide that killed millions in Ukraine — said she was shocked by last Friday's announcement. 'We are disappointed,' she said, adding she had been contacting school boards as late as last week about potential visits to dovetail with the enhanced curriculum. A Ukrainian Canadian Congress spokesperson noted there just wasn't enough time to prepare educators to teach 'complex and historically significant topics like the Holodomor, with which many might not be familiar.' Valentina Kuryliw, who serves as chair of the Holodomor Education Committee, added that while the delay was 'unfortunate,' it was 'prudent.' Brown said she understands the frustration voiced by advocates, but emphasized the importance of providing teachers with the proper training and tools: 'You do not want our members doing a disservice to the Black community because the teacher who's delivering the curriculum is fumbling through the knowledge. No one wants that.' The heads of both teachers unions are urging the ministry to release details of the new curriculum as soon as possible, and not wait another year. Brown said many questions remain — particularly about the revised kindergarten program and how young students will be assessed. Error! 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CTV News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Northern Ont. MPP calls on Ford government to spend more on education
At a news conference Wednesday, Sudbury MPP Jamie West called on the province to increase education spending. Northern Ont. MPP calls on Ford government to spend more on education Sudbury MPP Jamie West is calling on the province to increase education spending. Speaking at a news conference Wednesday morning, West said his office receives calls regularly from parents who are concerned with the state of the public school system. 'Our kids need … more funding,' he said. 'We want to ensure that people know it's not because of the educators, it's not the principals, it's not the school boards. It's a result of a lack of provincial funding from the Conservative government.' West said per-capita spending on education has dropped 11 per cent since Doug Ford was elected in 2018. West held a press conference Wednesday morning at the local (ETFO) office, joined by concerned parents and ETFO affiliates. Liana Holm, Elementary Teachers of Ontario Federation (ETFO) Rainbow local president, said the impact of the cuts can be seen in the amount of violence in the classroom. 'I get calls from educators almost every day,' Holm said. 'Seventy-seven per cent have personally experienced violence or witnessed violence against other staff members.' She said students are not being served the way they need. She added classroom sizes are too large, and there are not enough staff to meet student needs. 'The world has changed, so we need to change with it,' Holm said. West education spending Speaking at a news conference Wednesday morning, Sudbury MPP Jamie West said his office receives calls regularly from parents who are concerned with the state of the public school system. (Amanda Hicks/CTV News) 'That requires bodies in our schools to help deal with the dysregulation and some of the violent incidents.' Gina McAfee, president of the Rainbow Designated Early Childhood Educator Local, said children often enter the school system less emotionally and socially prepared for school. 'The children that are coming into school now are not representative of children in the past,' McAfee said. 'Children are coming to us with challenges -- special needs challenges -- that are undiagnosed. Families don't have family doctors. They don't have pediatricians. So, we have a lot of challenges in our classrooms. And not a lot of support.' Jessica Montogomery has an 11-year-old son with a communication disorder who recently required special accommodations for a physical injury. 'We are still on waitlists for supports that he was referred to when he was in Grade 2. We are now in Grade 6,' Montogomery said. 'We've had to privately pay for the therapy that he needs in order to be successful in the classroom, but also outside of the classroom, as well.' During the speeches, statistics were presented showing the impact of education cuts at local schools, averaging roughly $1,500 per student. 'It shows how much money has been deducted from the school board budgets,' she said. 'It's a very eye-opening experience to understand that one school could be $700,000 down in funding, which could be equal to seven adults. Seven adults in a school would make a huge difference.' More information can be found here. Statement from the province In response to a request from CTV News, the province sent this statement: 'Our government has made historic investments in education, including $29 billion in funding to school boards for the 2024/25 school year, the largest investment in Ontario's education system. Rainbow District School Board funding has increased to over $227.6 million, despite relatively stable enrollment, while the Sudbury Catholic District School Board was provided over $104.8 million despite declining enrollments. 'Since coming into government, we have increased special education funding year over year to over $3.5 billion this school year and supported the hiring of 9,000 additional education staff. We've also provided $118 million in mental health supports, representing a 577 per cent increase. We will continue to support student achievement and get students back to basics on building foundational reading, writing, and math skills that prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow.' Holm said she would like to see the province improve recruitment and retention, as well as more occasional teachers, smaller class sizes and resources for special education teachers. She said she'd also like to see specially trained mental health professionals in schools. 'If we had the people and then the mental health support, a lot of what we're seeing in schools right now would be able to put a lid on it,' Holm said. 'And then we'd actually be able to assess where we need the rest of the support to come.'
Hamilton Spectator
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Should police officers be in Ontario schools? Province wants to revive controversial program with new legislation but not everyone agrees
The Ontario government plans to require public school boards to implement school resource officer programs in areas where they are offered by local police services, beginning in the 2025-26 school year. The proposal is part of the Supporting Children and Students Act, introduced May 29, which the Ministry of Education says aims to strengthen government oversight, accountability and transparency in public school boards, post-secondary education and children's aid societies. The legislation would also give the education minister enhanced powers to more easily put school boards under provincial supervision. School resource officers (SRO) have been a source of debate at school boards across the province, with critics raising concerns about negative impacts on racialized and marginalized students. In a news release , Police Association of Ontario president Mark Baxter said the organization endorses the government's initiative and looks forward to seeing the SRO program implemented, where available, at school boards provincewide. 'The school resource officer program plays a crucial role in fostering trust, safety and mentorship within our schools. Having experienced the positive influence of an SRO in my own life, I understand how impactful these programs can be for young people,' Baxter said. Ontario's largest educator union disagrees. Calling it an 'egregious overreach' the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) issued a statement opposing the plan. 'ETFO strongly opposes the Ford government's latest legislative proposal that grants the Minister of Education additional powers to more easily place elected school boards under supervision and that forces the presence of police officers in schools,' the union stated. ETFO described the bill as 'authoritarianism cloaked in the language of accountability,' saying the government is attempting to deflect blame, suppress dissenting voices and tighten political control over the public education system. The union added the proposed changes would transfer power from democratically elected trustees to Queen's Park, and would compel boards to reintroduce SRO programs 'despite their well-documented harm, particularly to Black, Indigenous, and other racialized students.' The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association also criticized the proposal, calling it an attempt to erode local decision-making and divert attention from broader issues in the education system. 'Mandating school resource officers (SROs) is yet another move that undermines local decision-making,' the union said in a statement. 'Over the last decade, many school boards have chosen to end SRO programs after listening to experts and the voices of students, particularly those from Indigenous, Black and other equity-deserving groups who often felt surveilled and unsafe by the presence of police in schools.' The union added that mandating the return of police to schools sends the message that marginalized voices do not matter and ignores evidence that these programs have failed to foster trust between police and students. SRO programs have faced scrutiny from critics provincewide. The Hamilton-Wentworth School Board (HWDSB), for example, scrapped its police liaison program by a 7-3 trustee vote in 2020. Alex Johnstone, HWDSB chair at the time, said the program made some students feel unsafe — even if most students were indifferent to the police presence. 'It is incumbent upon us to have a duty to act to ensure that we have a safe and supportive school for all students. 'Most students' is not good enough,' Johnstone said in 2020. The Toronto District School Board voted to end its SRO program in 2017 following community consultation that found a regular armed police presence in schools was particularly harmful to vulnerable students. The proposed legislation would also mandate public disclosure of expense claims made by school trustees and other key personnel, requiring school boards to post expenses to a public-facing website. The move follows a number of high-profile expense controversies at Ontario boards. Last fall, a Brantford-area Catholic school board garnered headlines after it spent $145,000 to send four trustees to Italy to buy pricey art for schools. A trustee implicated in the scandal later said they 'deeply regret the trip' and vowed to remedy the situation. A portion from each trustee's biweekly honorarium payment is being deducted to repay the trip expenses, the Hamilton Spectator reported last month. The province proposes requiring school boards to implement School Resource Officer (SRO) programs where they are offered by local police services starting in the next school year. Disclaimer: Reader survey results are not scientific. As the informal findings of a survey presented to the readers of this site, they reflect the opinions of those who have chosen to participate. The survey is available online to anyone interested in taking it. This poll does not restrict the number of votes each person can cast. — With files from Metroland, the Hamilton Spectator and the Toronto Star Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
