As winter winds nipped at protesters’ faces outside Queen’s Park last Thursday, Ontario’s education landscape heated up considerably. More than 2,000 teachers, support staff, and concerned parents gathered in Toronto’s downtown core, their collective voice demanding what many called “essential funding increases” for a system they say is at its breaking point.
“We’re seeing classrooms of 35 students with diverse needs and just one teacher trying to manage it all,” said Brenda Mitchell, an elementary school teacher from Peel Region, her breath visible in the cold air as she clutched a handmade sign reading “Fund Our Future.”
The rally, organized by the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) in partnership with four affiliate unions, comes after months of escalating tensions between education workers and the Ford government. At issue is the province’s education funding formula, which union leaders argue hasn’t kept pace with inflation or the changing needs of today’s classrooms.
Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, told the crowd that per-pupil funding has effectively decreased by 2.2% since 2018 when adjusted for inflation, according to their analysis of Ministry of Education budget figures. “That translates to about $800 less per student in real dollars,” Hammond explained, as protesters responded with chants of “Fund our schools!”
Provincial data shows Ontario currently spends approximately $13,250 per pupil annually, ranking the province ninth among Canadian jurisdictions in per-student funding. Education Minister Stephen Lecce has countered union claims, pointing to a $683 million increase in this year’s education budget, bringing total spending to $31.3 billion.
“We’ve made record investments in public education while addressing pandemic learning gaps,” Lecce said in a statement released during the rally. “This includes targeted funding for math tutoring, mental health supports, and special education resources.”
But Karen Brown, a special education teacher from Durham Region, sees a different reality in her classroom. “I’m supporting students with complex needs using outdated technology and insufficient resources,” she told me as we walked along the protest perimeter. “The funding increase they keep talking about isn’t matching the rising costs or student needs. When you factor in inflation, we’re actually losing ground.”
The rallying teachers point to several specific concerns: larger class sizes, reduced support staff positions, and what they describe as inadequate resources for students with special needs. A recent report from People for Education, an independent research organization, found that 72% of Ontario elementary schools don’t have enough educational assistants to meet identified student needs.
“What we’re seeing is a system that’s being asked to do more with less,” said Annie Kidder, executive director of People for Education. “Schools are managing more complex student needs, more mental health challenges post-pandemic, and trying to close significant learning gaps – all without corresponding increases in resources.”
Parents like Jasmine Singh, who has two children in the public system, joined teachers at the rally. Singh, who took a personal day off work to attend, expressed frustration with what she’s observed in her children’s schools. “My son’s Grade 4 class has 32 students this year. His teacher is amazing, but how can one person possibly give adequate attention to that many nine-year-olds? It’s not fair to anyone.”
The provincial government maintains that Ontario’s education system remains well-funded compared to historical levels. Treasury Board data indicates education spending has increased by nearly 16% since 2018, though critics argue this hasn’t matched enrollment growth, inflation, or new pandemic-related learning needs.
At the rally, union leaders outlined five key demands: smaller class sizes, more special education funding, additional mental health supports, infrastructure improvements, and salary increases that match inflation. The province has signaled openness to discussing special education and mental health resources but remains firm on class size targets and compensation limits.
Inside the legislative building, as protesters’ chants echoed through the grounds, Premier Doug Ford defended his government’s education record during Question Period. “We’re putting money where it matters – directly into classrooms, not administrative bloat,” Ford said. “Our students are achieving better results in reading and math since we’ve focused on back-to-basics education.”
However, recent EQAO standardized test results show a mixed picture, with mathematics scores improving slightly while reading comprehension has declined in Grades 3 and 6 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Educational policy expert Dr. Prisha Javaheri from the University of Toronto points to deeper structural issues. “Ontario’s funding formula was created in the late 1990s for a very different educational landscape,” she explained in a phone interview after the rally. “Today’s classrooms require more technology, more specialized supports, and more differentiated teaching approaches. The formula needs comprehensive reform, not just incremental increases.”
As the four-hour demonstration wound down, teachers boarded buses to return to communities across the province. Many expressed a mix of frustration and determination. “We’re not just fighting for our working conditions,” said Michael Broderick, a high school teacher from Hamilton. “This is about whether Ontario values public education enough to fund it properly.”
The protest represents just one front in what appears to be an intensifying debate over education funding. Parent groups have scheduled community meetings across the province, while school boards have begun publicly highlighting budget shortfalls. Several boards, including Toronto District School Board, Ontario’s largest, have projected multi-million dollar deficits for the coming school year.
As Brenda Mitchell packed up her protest sign and prepared to head home, she reflected on what comes next. “We’ll be back in our classrooms tomorrow, doing our best for our students,” she said. “But we’ll also keep pushing for change. The kids deserve better than what they’re getting right now.”
Whether this provincial pressure campaign will translate into funding changes remains uncertain, but the message from Ontario’s education workers was unmistakable on this cold winter day: they believe the system needs more than just warm words – it needs concrete investment.
