Talks broke off late Friday — after three days — between the Ford government and elementary teachers’ union, with each side blaming the other.

What was seen as a small step forward amid escalating tensions with teachers ended with the government saying it offered the union the full commitment to full-day kindergarten it had sought, but that compensation remained a key sticking point with educators seeking 2 per cent a year.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, however, told its 83,000 members in a late-night memo that the “the government wants to reduce funding to support the learning needs of special education students, and it wants ETFO to agree to those cuts at the bargaining table.”

“We can’t do that,” said president Sam Hammond, adding the province refused to address a number of key issues.

The mediator called off the talks “for now,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in a statement.

“The government stands ready to meet at any time, to reach a deal that keeps students in class,” he also said.

While ETFO has no new dates for bargaining, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association will be in talks Monday — a day before a scheduled province-wide walkout — and the AEFO, representing French board teachers, will resume next Wednesday and Thursday.

“We look forward to the opportunity to negotiate to reach a settlement that keeps students in class and ends the union-led disruption that is affecting so many students across the province,” Lecce said.

“We continue to ask the unions to come to the table with realistic proposals that prioritize student success. Our students deserve no less.”

AEFO president Rémi Sabourin said “all parties are committed to pursuing bargaining.” The AEFO also sat down with the government and school board associations this week while its 12,000 members continued to work to rule.

The province has no talks scheduled with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.

“We remain in the hands of the mediator and await an invitation to return to the bargaining table at a time she believes will be productive,” said OSSTF president Harvey Bischof.

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

High school teachers plan to resume their rotating weekly walkouts on Tuesday, hitting the Halton, York and York Catholic boards.

Liz Stuart, president of the Catholic teachers’ association, said as it stands now, their province-wide strike will go ahead.

“We are pleased to be getting back to negotiations. However, it remains to be seen how serious the discussions will be,” Stuart said.

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“We would like nothing more than to focus on reaching an agreement, but the government needs to understand that their proposed cuts simply cannot stay on the table.”

Without a deal by Friday, the ETFO will begin striking two days a week starting next week.

On Thursday, Lecce had called discussions with the elementary union “productive,” adding he had given his negotiators “the latitude” to land a deal.

That didn’t happen.

New Democrat MPP Marit Stiles, her party’s education critic, credited the teachers’ unions and strong parent support for getting the government back to the table.

RELATED STORIES Provincial Politics High school teachers to resume one-day strikes as talks continue between the Ford government and elementary teachers

“I hope the government does the right thing” and reverse planned cuts, Stiles said.

Bischof said his union’s one-day strike could be averted if the Ford government “agrees to return to, and maintain, the class-size ratios and staffing levels that were in place in Ontario schools just one year ago.”

The province plans to boost secondary class sizes from last year’s average of 22 students to 25, which would mean the loss of thousands of teaching positions and even fewer course options for teens. It also wants to introduce two mandatory online credits starting next fall.

Neither move is popular with the public, and is opposed not only by the unions but also school boards and the principals’ association, as well as the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association, which advocates for the province’s two million students.

Last week, Ford said he has limited patience for the teacher walkouts, and vowed the government will not budge on its offer of a one per cent annual wage increase.

Teachers are seeking a raise equal to the cost of living, or about two per cent. The government has passed legislation capping public sector raises at one per cent a year.

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