Collapsing and combining of classes; What parents need to know about class sizes in Ontario

BY PAUL JUNOR

The return of over two million students to public funded schools in Ontario across 72 boards may necessitate major changes in the fall. Many boards are crunching their numbers to finalize their enrolment to develop classes for teachers. It has been particularly difficult for boards located in urban cities where COVID-19 has had a major impact and students opted out of in-person learning.

In a report by CBC News on Tuesday, September 1^st, 2020, Cathy Abrahams, President of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association stated, “We are aware of situations in the province where classes are being collapsed. If they’re being collapsed, it is because of a bid to fulfil Ministry directives and parents should check their school boards if they have concerns about their own children’s class size.” 

Boards are restricted from lowering class sizes if students opt out of in-person learning for online, because of Ministry-mandated caps. The complicated formula that the Ministry uses is based on funding agreements between the government and school boards, which is largely determined by enrolment numbers. She states further, “I understand why people are kind of surprised to be hearing about this. I get why parents and teachers alike are anxious about not knowing for sure what’s going to happen. It is very challenging, and this is what keeps: trustees, directors of education, superintendents and principals up at night.”

In many ways, it will be the larger urban schools in cities such as Toronto that will be impacted the most, as opposed to smaller rural schools. The cases of COVID-19 in rural communities are far less than in areas such as the GTA where more students opt to return to in-person class.

NDP education critic, Marit Stiles observes that these collapsed and combined classes are a direct consequent of the government’s back-to-school plan and potentially could result in the reassignment of teachers, and the actual increase in some class sizes. “I feel bad for families who thought maybe if they keep their kids home that would make it easier for others to have smaller class sizes. That has never been part of the plan. Without a cap on class sizes school boards will have to reorganize classrooms to meet the government requirements.”

It has been challenging for many boards as they try to allocate teachers based on the restrictive funding formula, and the number of students who opt for in-person and home-schooling options.

Marit Stikes observes, “Most boards are out there scrambling as they have been for weeks and months, to try to find ways to reduce their class sizes. There is limited flexibility.”

There are many challenges school boards such as the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the largest one in Canada has to deal with. The Globe and Mail reported on Monday, September 7^th, 2020 that about 150 schools in Toronto, which were operating overcapacity before the pandemic, are having a hard time finding spaces now.

The TDSB is exploring the possibility of triple-grade classrooms in low-attendance areas to deal with this issue. Schools in low-income communities and high-priority areas could see higher rates of collapsed classes. The move could make teaching and learning in the midst of the global pandemic more difficult. Jennifer Brown president of Elementary Teachers of Toronto states, “It’s completely unrealistic to be putting additional stress on the students and on the staff, to be in a triple-grade during pandemic.”