Most of the reductions in funding are expected to come as the result of provincial increases to class sizes.

Provincial funding cuts will eventually mean about $32 million less funding per year for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, trustees heard Tuesday night, but the resulting effects of those cuts are still to be determined.

Most of the reductions in funding are expected to come as the result of provincial increases to class sizes, which will see average high school classes increase from 22 students to 28, and the introduction of mandatory online classes with an average class size of 35 students.

"Just because there's a reduction for a classroom teacher doesn't mean that's where we'll make the reduction," explained Mike Carson, the OCDSB's chief financial officer.

Carson says the board's staff estimates the province will cut funding for 250 to 300 full-time equivalent classroom teachers in high schools, between 10 and 20 FTE elementary teachers and 40 early childhood education positions. But he says the board has some autonomy and flexibility around where it allocates its funding.

"That does not translate directly into those losses of staff," Carson told trustees at Tuesday night's budget meeting.

Carson notes, the board currently has a small budget surplus of about $7.8 million, which he says could be used to cushion some of the effects of the provincial funding cuts.