TORONTO, ON – May 22, 2019 — The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) has completed a detailed report on the effects of the Ford government plan to increase average class sizes over the next four years.

The Minister of Education Lisa Thompson announced on March 15, 2019 that secondary school class size averages would increase from 22 to 28 over the next four years.

The increase in class size average in secondary schools will result in a 25% reduction in teaching positions and a subsequent loss of access to courses and program options for students.

OSSTF/FEESO surveyed local teacher bargaining units from across the province and asked them to create a model for schools in their area that showed the impact of increases in class size average through to the 2022-2023 school year. The data includes the loss of teaching positions, the loss of teachers over and above the number of retirees projected, and the loss of teachers with specific qualifications in these schools, which would threaten the loss of specific curricular programs.

Overall, OSSTF/FEESO received data from 23 bargaining units representing 60 schools in Ontario. The report highlights the impact on small, medium and large sized schools based on their Average Daily Enrollment (ADE), or number of students attending a school.

The Impact on Class Size Increases summary report and full technical report are available for viewing on the OSSTF/FEESO website.

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.