Ontario’s two largest education workers unions are jointly calling for emergency funding to address the epidemic of violence in the province’s schools. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario School Board Council of Unions (CUPE-OBSCU) are calling for understaffing issues to be resolved.
The unions, together representing more than 100,000 workers, say increased education funding and an increase in staffing levels will result in better student outcomes as well.
Last week, the results of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) standardized tests set off alarms for the provincial government. More than half of students meet or exceed the provincial standard for literacy and math and the percentage of students who meet this standard is growing. But the government said it still sees the progress as “insufficient.” As a result, it has appointed an advisory body to the province’s approach to student assessment.
Ontario minister of education, Paul Calandra, attributed the insufficient EQAO test results to dysfunction and infighting among school board trustees. OSBCU and OSSTF, however, assert that the real root cause is underfunding and understaffing in schools by Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government.
“For years, the Conservative government has continued to cut billions of dollars in funding to the education sector, causing extreme understaffing, increased violence against staff and students, and our students’ needs being neglected,” Joe Tigani, President of CUPE-OSBCU, said in a statement. “If Ford and Calandra are genuinely looking for consultation and solutions, they should start by speaking to education unions, whose members work in the system every single day. Ontario students don’t need more advisory boards; they need real investment and real action.”
Both unions said the increasing level of violence in schools is contributing to the deterioration of learning conditions. Violence against workers and students in schools has been on the rise. A 2024 survey by OSSTF found that 75 per cent of members have seen rising incidents of violence over their careers and 31 per cent experienced physical force in the previous school year.
Another report by CUPE-OSBCU showed that 74.6 per cent of education workers experience violent or disruptive incidents in their work area and over a third face these incidents daily.
“The crisis of violence in Ontario schools is real, and it is getting worse,” said Martha Hradowy, President of OSSTF. “There simply are not enough qualified adults in classrooms to meet student needs.”
A report released in May by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative found that the total amount school boards have lost in funding over the last seven years comes up to $6.35 billion when inflation and increases in enrolment are taken into consideration.
OSSTF and CUPE-OSBCU are supporting the call for an additional $1 billion in funding for schools that the federal Liberal party put out last week. The unions emphasize, however, that this $1 billion alone is not enough. Support rabble today!
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“Our message is simple. No matter which party raises the issue, the solution remains the same. Ontario needs real, sustained investments in the qualified, caring adults who keep students safe and help them learn,” Hradowy said.
