Toronto Star reporters Isabel Teotonio and Kristin Rushowy teamed up to answer some of readers’ most pressing questions about the Ontario teacher strikes.

Ontario teachers are fighting larger class sizes, which they say will phase out thousands of teaching positions and course options for teens, as well as mandatory e-learning in high school.

They are seeking raises equal to the cost of living, about two per cent annually. Premier Doug Ford has said the province is not budging on its offer of one per cent a year.

All teacher unions are engaged in job action, ranging from not filling out report cards to one-day strikes.

While Teotonio and Rushowy were not able to get to all questions in the alloted time, they answered as many as possible. Here is a recap of their answers. Some reader questions have been condensed and combined for clarity and to avoid duplication.

From reader via email: This weekend the Star and other major newspapers ran full page ads criticizing teachers and the strike from a group called Vaughan Working Families. Given that the Minister of Education represents Vaughan, can you provide some insight into this particular group?

Rushowy: Regarding the Vaughan Working Families ad — It has been brought to our attention and the company is actively looking into it.

Also, I reached out to Education Minister Stephen Lecce’s office this morning, and his spokesperson says they “not aware of the advertisements and not familiar with the group Vaughan Working Families.”

From Rocco via email: Why are the unions representing the teachers opting for rotating strikes 1-2 days a month or a week instead of walking out of the job forcing the government to the table for negotiations or mandating teachers back to work and having an arbitrator involved.

Teotonio: With regards to rotating strikes... each union seems to have its own strategy as to how/when it will escalate job action. We have asked union leaders why they’re engaged in rotating strikes and haven’t opted to walk off the job completely. For now, this seems to be the desired approach, but they are constantly monitoring the situation as negotiations unfold. Based on my own reporting and speaking with parents — many seem to be supportive of teachers. But it’s unclear if that support would continue as strongly if there were to be a full-blown strike.

From Christine via email: What is the best way for a parent to show support for their teachers and encourage the government to meet their needs to end this? Should we be calling our local MPP?

Teotonio: I think your suggestion of reaching out to your local MPP (by phone or email) is a good one — it’s definitely a great way of having your voice heard. In recent weeks, parents have been showing support in a variety of ways, including organizing press conferences, joining picket lines and even opening up their homes (if they live near schools) so that striking teachers can get warm and use the washroom. (Teachers on the picket line are not allowed on school property.)

From Gary via email: Why can’t this be settled sensibly through binding arbitration rather than having everyone hamstrung and upset by this primitive, confrontational approach?

Teotonio: It’s unclear to us as reporters what exactly is happening at the negotiating table. We know what each side is telling us — and we’re reporting on it.

From Ann via email: We never hear what is happening with the French Catholic Board. Are they fighting for the same issues as the other boards?

Rushowy: They are — the AEFO represents French board teachers, both elementary and secondary, and they too oppose larger classes, mandatory e-learning and the same issues the other teacher unions are fighting. I recently spoke to AEFO President Remi Sabourin who said while the problems are the same, there are “different consequences” ... he said bigger class sizes mean fewer teachers for all, but in northern and small French boards where a high school has 100 students and 5 teachers, the loss of one teacher equals six fewer courses, which can have a huge impact. So students “look across the street to the English high school. For us, it’s the surivival of some of our schools, so it is very important.”

From reader via email: Teacher unions, parents and students are concerned that online courses offer an inferior learning experience and hurt those who do not have reliable Internet coverage. To what extent are these criticisms proven? Are Ontarians opposed to mandatory e-learning because we are afraid of the unknown?

Rushowy: Boards, parents and students have raised a number of questions about e-learning — about access to computers, and Internet a major concern if it is made mandatory. Of course, boards already offer e-learning, but it is voluntary. In the U.S., a handful of states require or recommend one e-learning course. Two would be a first. The government says students need digital/tech skills and this moves Ontario into the future. However, the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association surveyed high school students and found 95 per cent oppose mandatory online courses. Apart from Internet/computer issues, students who had taken such courses said it was difficult to reach their teacher in a timely manner to get questions answered, and they felt in-class a better experience. The research is mixed.

From Michael via thestar.com: I believe our teachers work very hard and deserve every penny they earn. I believe the government is correct in seeking fiscal responsibility. Why can’t our unions and the government arrive at an agreed-to arrangement appointing a management audit over each board, ending a futile strike which hurts more than it helps. Why can’t maturity and wisdom penetrate this Trump wall of inconclusiveness??? Thank you and may all sides find peace and settlement!

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Rushowy: Boards conduct audits every year ... and they rely on the province for funding. So I’m not sure how a management audit would help ...

From James via thestar.com: With the internet affecting every industry on the planet and technology something teachers should embrace why are we not allowing some on line courses.

Rushowy: E-learning already exists in Ontario and a number of boards use it (especially smaller/northern boards to give students more course options). In 2018, about 50,000 students took at least one online course. Right now, online courses are voluntary. The Ford government is proposing to require two to earn a high school diploma, down from its original proposal for four. Very few details about how the courses would be run have been made available, though I was assured by minister’s staff that they will be publicly run. The plan is also for a 35 student class average.

From reader via email: I would like to know why the unions are not budging on the 2% raise issue when all Ontario Public Service Employees had their wages frozen. I work for a hospital and we get 0% raise. I feel like the government might budge on the other issues if the unions would agree to 1%.

Rushowy: I don’t know what is happening at the bargaining table, but the unions are seeking cost of living increase, which is about 2 per cent a year. The provincial government has passed legislation capping public sector wage increases at 1 per cent a year, though a number of unions are challenging that in court. As for what might make the sides budge ... who knows?

From Angela via email: How can the provincial government give themselves a 14% raise plus bonuses and not fairly expect Ontario workers to at least get a cost of living allowance every year? With support staff at an average salary of $36000 many are living just above poverty. 2% is not a big ask. It’s just staying in line with inflation.

Rushowy: Just to clarify, MPP salaries have been frozen since 2009. The salary raises you mention were for deputies and that process began under the previous Liberal government (it was a situation the Ford government inherited.)

From Daniel via email: Our kid is in FI JK in a TCDSB school. Yes we support teachers and unions. Later this week there’s no DECE in our classroom for 2 days because they belong to ETFO. The school is telling us that a staff member or EA will be covering. They weren’t very clear. Should we just keep her at home? Isn’t any of this a violation of the union rules?

Teotonio: Although the ECEs in the TCDSB are members of ETFO and are currently scheduled to go on strike later this week (Feb 6 & 7) the TCDSB will be pulling in extra staff to help kindergarten teachers on those days. So the TCDSB will be open those days and running kindergarten classes. As of right now, OECTA (represents Catholic teachers province-wide) is scheduled to go on strike tomorrow (Feb. 4) so all Catholic school boards will be closed – so there won’t be any classes at the TCDSB, or in any Catholic board in Ontario.

Rushowy: The TCDSB has said admin (principals and vice-principals) as well as centrally assigned staff would be pulled in to help full-day kindergarten teachers during strikes by DECE (designated early childhood educators) represented by ETFO.

From Phil via thestar.com: Has anyone studied the problem of a lack of qualified French Immersion teachers and why is this a problem and what have unions been proposing in negotiations to solve this problem? What is the province proposing, if anything?

Teotonio: The popularity of French Immersion has exploded in recent years. Given the growing interest among parents in enrolling their kids in French Immersion, various boards have had difficulty in recent years recruiting qualified and good quality French immersion teachers. My colleague Kris Rushowy has written about this extensively over the years. Just recently, Caroline Alphonso of the Globe and Mail reported that Peel District school board will be trimming about 600 French immersion spots for next year because it can’t find enough qualified teachers. The unions haven’t mentioned that this an issue for them during the bargaining process. I think this is more an issue that the school boards, who hire teachers, are grappling with in trying to meet demand.

From Angela via thestar.com: Under the expired contract (where the ratio was 22:1), classes in subjects like Math and Science often had 32 or 33 students in them. They couldn’t be any larger because the contract contained this limit (a “hard cap”). Under the government’s proposed reduced ratio increase of 25:1, they have removed the hard cap, so there is absolutely no limit on how large the classes can be. Why is this fact not being reported?

Teotonio: The Star has reported that the proposed ratio for high school classes of 25 to 1 is just an average – and not a hard cap. Some class sizes will be much, much higher – and we’re already seeing that this year. Right now, class averages are 22.5 and, as we’ve reported, school boards are already seeing the effects of that, which include bigger classes (beyond 22.5) and some cancelled courses. (Among the key issues for all unions is smaller class sizes – the province wants to boost secondary class size averages from 22 to 25 – down from an initial proposal of 28. As we’ve reported, that will result in thousands of lost teaching jobs and fewer courses.)