Newmarket protesters sound alarm on education cuts, larger class sizes

‘It will harm their future’: Protesters and over 78,000 Ontarians reject larger class sizes

YorkRegion.com
Feb. 12, 2019
Dina Al-Shibeeb

More than 20 protesters braved the cold Feb. 7 to show their disapproval for any budget cuts on education, sounding the alarm that it will "harm” students’ futures and can lead to future job cuts.

“Our kids are future. They are the ones who are going to be leading us,” said Sandy Glassford, President of District 16 Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation in York Region.

Glassford was joining the protesters on Yonge Street, who were calling on passing by cars to honk to show support, right opposite of Nature’s Emporium plaza after dropping a letter at the Tory MPP Christine Elliott's office, which is close by.

Unfortunately Elliott, Deputy Premier of Ontario and Ontario Minister of Health, wasn’t at the office, said Glassford.

But he clarified that his letter to Elliott encapsulated his main message if these cuts materialize.

“Our message here today is that any cuts to education, not only will it hurt our students learning condition but it will cut jobs,” he said, especially amid a competitive market nationally and internationally.

Like many other Canadians, Glassford also expressed his concern about the proposal to cut class sizes for elementary schoolchildren, saying it will only “result in increased workload, which is directly going to impact our children’s education.”

No to bigger class sizes: poll

A poll conducted by Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) in January showed that more than 78,000 Ontarians have sent letters to their MPPs, saying that they do not support larger class sizes in public elementary schools. .

Glassford cited the example of students who are already “struggling” in school and need some extra attention, adding that they will be at an “disadvantage.”

He added: “If we look at all the studies out there, the more we can get direct contacts with our kids, the better their learning.”

Almost 65 per cent of Ontarians believe there are too many students per class and that a real and effective cap should be put on class size, the ETFO poll also showed.

One of those people is John Pawnall, who has only one grandson and was among the protesters on Thursday.

“I have been in kindergarten classes, and Grade 1 and 2 classes. I know what’s going on there, it is enormous amount of work. Those [teachers] are one of the dedicated people. It’s one of the hardest jobs to do in education,” he said.

He added: “You are the one who is giving these kids their start, if they get a good start, they will do well, and poor start, good luck.”

For Lisa Lewis, a mother of two from Newmarket, told York Region Media that “teachers are already struggling with the class sizes they have now” in a written feedback in late January after Ontario’s education minister announced a government review education and see if it will keep the caps on  the number of students in kindergarten and in Grades 1 and 3. The  review also includes how teachers hired and their number.

“I've volunteered in the classes over the last few years and it's obvious they are in need of some help,” she said. “The teachers really only have time to spend with the students that are struggling  and there really isn't enough time for them to spend more than 15-20 min with them 1:1.”

Paul Faulkner, a science teacher in York Region District School Board (YRDSB), was among the protesters.

Faulkner, who has one of his children already graduated from university without needing to taker OSAP, urged for the need for “publicly subsidized education.”

“It [education] should be available for all people; it should not be divided along economic lines,” he added.

During public consultations on budget cuts, which include that of education has ended on Feb. 8, Glassford was active in reaching out to MPPs.

“We have reached out to her [Elliott] office quite few times to request a meeting. She is one of the few MPPs in York Region who hasn’t agreed to meet with us,” lamented Glassford.

When asked about Glassford’s complaint, the minister’s office said: “Our Government is committed to ensuring every student in Ontario has access to a safe and supportive learning environment.”

As the Conservative provincial government gears up to make its decision for 2019 budget amid $5 billion deficit, it blames on the previous Liberal government, Ontarians hope these budget cuts won’t translate to low quality education for their kids.

“I really hope they don't remove this cap I really feel it would be detrimental to our kids and our teachers,” Lewis.