Classroom supplies in the cash-strapped Thames Valley District school board are so scarce many teachers say they’re buying them themselves as the board deals with an $18-million budget shortfall.
Classroom supplies in the cash-strapped Thames Valley District school board are so scarce many teachers say they’re buying them themselves amid an $18-million shortfall budget.
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One teacher spoke with The Free Press on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution for publicly discussing their concerns, and said budgets for classroom resources have been cut “so drastically that schools even lack basic necessities – such as photocopy paper – simply to do our jobs” as educators.
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“Classroom budgets for the entire year at my school were $100 per class last year,” the teacher said.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley denied there had been any cuts to operating budgets at its schools.
But for the last two years there has been no money to purchase new books for the school library, the teacher said.
Craig Smith is president of the Thames Valley district of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario. He said class supplies and supports for students have been in short supply “for a long time.
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“Paper, pencils, and other (tools) are being paid for out of the teacher’s pocket,” he said. “The reality is those sort of supports have always been scant and are now under more pressure because of the overall budget situation the board says it’s in.”
He said the issue is “not new but is exacerbated by the board looking to save pennies.”
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In the past, library books that are in need of repair or are outdated have been “weeded out” from libraries, Smith said. “What seems to be happening, there is a cull, but there is no replacement of those books.”
The Thames Valley District school board is looking at an $18.5-million budget deficit, the largest it has ever seen.
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The deficit largely is the result of increases in the number of sick days and in Canada Pension Plan and employment insurance premiums, for which there have been no Ministry of Education funding increases, the board says.
Since the COVID pandemic began in 2020, teacher absences have become a major issue across the province, including in the Thames Valley board that employs 14,000 people and runs 154 elementary and 30 high schools across Southwestern Ontario.
Other deficit-drivers include having more teachers than are funded due to the wide range of high school courses offered, as well as some courses being offered in smaller class sizes than funded. The board also has been losing money running a number of smaller high schools and its predictions for elementary enrollment were less than for what they budgeted.
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Thames Valley board chair Beth Mai said last month that due to “significant and ongoing budget pressures” this year’s budget process will be “particularly challenging” for herself and her fellow trustees.
“There have been discussions about budget pressures,” Mai said. “If funding shortfalls continue, the board will continue to face serious challenges serving the needs of Thames Valley schools, staff and communities.”
That means potential reductions to programming and “teaching staff changes” that are not supported by enrollment funding, she said.
May called on Queen’s Park to help make up for the funding deficit.
She said: “I’m optimistic that the Ministry of Education. . . will address the funding shortfalls experienced by TVDSB and other boards so that school boards can continue to support student success.”
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