Ontario high school students can expect to be in classrooms on the first day of school next month despite expiring contracts for teachers and “serious” funding cuts by the Ford government, the head of their teachers’ union said Thursday.

Collective agreements between the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, the province and school boards expire at the end of August, but OSSTF president Harvey Bischof said classes will begin on time regardless of contract negotiations.

Bischof warned, however, that the effects of recent funding cuts to public education will be felt immediately, as school boards across the province have had to lay off hundreds of teachers and support staff to align workload within their new budgets.

“The government at Queen’s Park has declared war on one of the best education systems in the world,” Bischof told delegates to an annual leadership conference in Toronto, adding that educators have “no choice” but to move to the front lines in the struggle to save education in the province.

“If we allow this government’s plan to be fully implemented, high schools in Ontario — and the way our students experience high school — will be unrecognizable.”

As a result of the cuts, Bischof said students will have fewer course choices, less access to support staff and larger class sizes this fall. And a year from now, students will be faced with a prospect of four mandatory e-learning credits — a move he called “foolhardy” and “flat out discrimination” against students who live in parts of the province without broadband internet access.

Bischof would not go as far as predicting labour disruptions, saying only that there are processes to be followed under labour law. The main focus right now, he said, is continuing to provide quality education and to oppose government policies that “would rip” teachers out of classrooms and harm support staff.

“I’m very concerned that we’ve got a government that doesn’t recognize the investment value of public education in Ontario,” he said.

“But we will go to the bargaining table with proposals that are good for Ontario’s education system and for the province’s economic future. We hope the government sees the value in changing direction before the damage becomes irreversible.”

The provincial government announced cuts to public education programs in this spring’s budget, along with a series of changes that will lead to larger class sizes and fewer teachers and staff. Those cuts will leave the Toronto District School Board, the largest school board in the country, with a $21-million shortfall in the coming year.

Bischof said recently appointed Education Minister Stephen Lecce “is a better communicator” than his predecessor, Lisa Thompson. While the new minister hasn’t specifically addressed the potential loss of teachers and class choices for students, Bischof said Lecce should know the educators need him to reverse the cuts.

In the wake of announcing the funding cuts, the provincial government launched public consultations asking people to weigh in on the new measures. The consultations were completed on May 31 but government has been “reluctant” to make the results public, Bischof said.

“Let’s see if the public thinks that jamming students into overcrowded classes, ripping away critical supports, closing the door on course options, and forcing students to take four mandatory e-learning credits will lead to better outcomes and ultimately a stronger Ontario economy,” he said.

A recent survey showed the majority of people in Ontario believe the government is wrong to severely cut funding to public education, according to the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO).

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The poll, which was conducted by Innovation Research Group between July 25 and Aug. 2, found that 61 per cent of respondents say the Ontario government in on the wrong track on the education file. When it comes to protecting the interests of students, 51 per cent of respondents said they trust teachers, while only 16 per cent trust Premier Doug Ford’s government on the issue.

“As these results indicate, Ford is not governing ‘for the people’ as he purported in his election campaign. His government is more intent on offering tax breaks for corporations than investing in our students and their future,” said ETFO president Sam Hammond.

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