Ford government cuts $25 million from education; local school board reacts

The provincial government has announced it will cut $25 million from education, specifically in areas concerning tutors for students, student leadership and Indigenous programs.

The cuts will affect each of the province’s 72 school boards, which received sudden government notification of the cuts Friday afternoon.

“We’re surprised by the timing of it, but not completely surprised because this government has said they will be tightening their belts and they will be looking over their funding line by line,” said Jennifer Sarlo, Algoma District School Board (ADSB) chair, speaking to SooToday Monday.

Sarlo said board officials do not have a specific dollar amount as to how much the ADSB’s funding will be cut or exactly when the cuts will take effect and have an impact.

“We’re looking at the different memos that have come through, and it (funding) certainly seems to be coming out of grants for special projects, so it will have a big impact on some of the things we’re doing that are happening in our classroom that are enhancing learning,” Sarlo said.

“We are concerned about that.”

“Healthcare and education are the foundational pieces of what our government funds and what is necessary for our future and wellbeing of citizens, so when these things happen it impacts us.”

“Some of the things that stick out...are the tutors in the classroom, which has been a successful program for us, and one of the pieces we’ve had a lot of success with, and we’re not sure what the impact will be, is the re-engagement funding,” Sarlo said.

The board’s re-engagement program involves board officials contacting students who drop out and don’t return to classes in September, encouraging them to return to school.

“We’ve had incredible success with that program. It helps with our graduation numbers, there are student leadership programs which seem to be on this list as well. It affects special projects which have been funded in the past to deal with some very specific areas,” Sarlo said.

The cuts also affect some programs for Indigenous students, though Sarlo said she did not yet have full details of those cuts and which Indigenous programs will be impacted.

“Our administrators have told me we won’t likely know (the full amount of the cuts, which programs will be affected and when) until the New Year. We’re staffing some of these programs as part of our budget process, there are the grants for student needs, and in order to do a budget we need that information earlier in the year than later.”

Sarlo said approaching Sault MPP Ross Romano in the New Year is “an option on the table.”

Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board (H-SCDSB) officials were not immediately available for comment Monday.