Government Plays Shell Game with Core Education Funding to Hide Cuts That Will Hurt Students

Publicly funded education is a Canadian success story, but Ontario’s future is being put at risk yet again by an education funding announcement (Core Education Funding 2026-27) that makes real cuts to critical resources and supports that our students need to succeed.

The proposed funding for the 2026-27 school year falls well below the rate of inflation and uses accounting tricks to manufacture increases where none exist. Instead, we are seeing real cuts to critical funding that students and families depend on, like special education, classroom staffing, and learning resources.

Every day, Catholic teachers see the impact that more than eight years of chronic government underfunding has had on our students, including overcrowded classrooms, rising violence, and a lack of basic school supplies, like paper, pencils, and textbooks.

These new cuts – combined with those already being implemented by government-appointed school board supervisors – will do further harm to the most vulnerable in our classrooms.

The Core Education Funding announcement also confirms that the $750 supplies card for elementary teachers was little more than a government photo op, as the funding for the card cuts into existing school allocations. With insufficient funding, the responsibility of buying basic classroom supplies has now been downloaded on to teachers, at a time when students need more time with their teachers, not less.

Our students deserve better. They need smaller class sizes, safe and modern schools, increased special education supports, and real and sustained investment in our publicly funded schools.

Catholic teachers call on this government to stop the cuts and work together for a better future for Ontario students. One that starts by meaningfully working with teachers, parents, and our local communities and focusing on the investments that students need to learn, grow, and thrive.

René Jansen in de Wal
President, Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association