A plan to help our students

Tell Doug Ford there are no more excuses

Doug Ford dropped the ball on investing in a safe reopening of schools. The federal government has been forced to step in with new funding.

Now that the money is there, no thanks to Ford, it needs to get to school boards in time for a safe re-opening.

Doug Ford’s inaction has led to confusion, chaos and panic. Until the federal government stepped in, he ignored the call for smaller class sizes from parents, educators, school boards and Ontario’s top health experts. And he ignored the fully costed Students in Schools Action Plan that Ontario Liberals presented.

Add your name to tell Premier Ford “no more excuses”:

A safe place to learn and a safe place to work

Students and their parents were waiting for far too long to hear what will happen in September. Since the government hadn’t unveiled a plan for the fall, we did.

Now Doug Ford’s plan is out there and everyone can see it was half-baked, and blatantly ignored recommendations from school boards, teachers, healthcare associations, and parents.

We need students in classrooms — high quality and safe in-class experience needs to be front and centre in our plans for this Fall.

Reopening the economy without safe, expert-informed full day school reopening puts families in impossible situations. It forces parents to choose between their children’s education and their work. That’s not a plan.

This plan – an Ontario Liberal Plan – works

Students in Schools Action Plan

✅ Cap class sizes at 15

✅ Create 14,000 new classrooms

✅ Hire 17,000 additional educators and 10,000 additional caretakers to support our students

(see fully costed plan)

“Ford’s priorities are beer, bars and booze — it’s time to deliver on a better, stronger and safer public education for our kids. That’s why my plan is focused on students, their families and everyone who works in public education.”
— Steven Del Duca

15,000 Elementary Teachers to reduce class sizes to 15	$1.3 billion
10,000 Caretakers to keep schools clean and sanitized	$500 million
14,000 New Classrooms in Community Centres, Campuses, Arenas, etc.	$200 million
2,000 More Secondary Teachers to address pressures and help all students reach their full potential	$170 million
School Transportation (Cleaning, Retrofits, Staggered Starts)	$80 million
Sufficient Cleaning/Hygiene Supplies and Equipment	$120 million
1,500 Special Education Professionals to Help Close Learning Gaps	$120 million
New equipment for students and educators (approx. 400,000 new devices)	$200 million
Reverse PC Cuts to School Mental Health and hire 1,000 more Mental Health Professionals to support staff and students	$75 million
Provincial Leadership in Centrally Procuring and Purchasing Personal Protective Equipment for Students and Staff (e.g., face shields, masks, gloves)	$110 million
Parental Engagement and Communication	$25 million
Public Health Coordination of Screening, Testing and Contact Tracing	N/A
Contingency (10%)	$290 million

*This is a one-time funding plan for the 2020-21 school year, after which, a vaccine may likely be available. Regardless, the government should begin planning for 2021-22 as early as possible.

We want to be transparent about where these numbers come from, and so you can view a spreadsheet with the details and assumptions here.

The full press release for this announcement can be found here.