A teacher’s rally is scheduled across the province next Thursday.
Locally members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario and the Canadian Union of Public Employees will be picketing outside Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norm Miller’s Bracebridge office. They will be there to protest potential cuts of $1 billion provincially and $8 million to the Trillium Lakeland District School Board.
A press release announcing the action from OSSTF President Colin Matthew notes the discussion on class sizes and that local reductions will mean a cut to frontline services. Matthew is citing Doug Ford’s campaign promise of cutting 4 per cent from the Ontario budget for the potential education budget cuts.
Matthew points to a reference made by the province that student test scores in China and Turkey are better despite having larger class sizes than Ontario schools as an example of the government being out of touch with the situation.
“This is absolutely not the kind of flexibility (regarding class size) the public should embrace as it will only see students in larger classes with less opportunity for individual attention, instruction or feedback,” writes Matthew. “Learning is facilitated when students receive attention from highly trained and passionate educators. This simply doesn’t occur in larger classes.”
The rally will take place on February 7th at Norm Miller’s office located at 165 Manitoba St #1, Bracebridge starting at 4:15pm.