Ontario public school boards are quietly warning that parents should not expect final report cards to go home this June, but instead some kind of letter stating whether their children have passed the school year and are progressing to the next grade.

Some boards had hoped to hire extra help for principals to input marks so that report cards could be completed, given members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, now in the midst of work-to-rule, won’t be doing that or providing any report card comments. However, the Ministry of Education is expected to announce no money will be provided to do so, sources told the Star.

Michael Barrett, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, said he’s not in favour of sending letters home with elementary students — “parents want to know how their child is doing” — but said if the ministry doesn’t provide additional funds, cash-strapped boards would be loath to take the money from other budget areas.

“I would be of the opinion that parents deserve better and that parents certainly have a right to understand how their child has done,” said Barrett.

“It will cause great angst to parents who have a child in the elementary panel, and to me, that’s very unfortunate. To me, it is calling into question the confidence of public education.”

Barrett, who is also chair of the Durham District School Board, said his board had hoped to provide more than just a letter, but hiring extra help could cost up to $400,000 — money it does not have.

“We’d like to go ahead, but we’re not sure we can.”

Even with money to hire help, report cards for most schools could not be ready on time, by the end of June.

The Ministry of Education is expected to provide boards with some advice this week on what is expected, given the work-to-rule by elementary teachers, and boards will also encourage parents to speak to teachers to get more information.

However, sources say if marks are not entered into the computer system for this final report, students may never find out how they did.

The Toronto District School Board says it has not made a final decision, but principal sources have said that inputting grades for all 155,000 students up to Grade 8, in a number of different subject areas, realistically cannot be done.

Brian Woodland, director of communications for the Peel District School Board, said the board is looking at all options, including a so-called “promotion letter” that would contain “whatever information we have.”

“In our review of solutions, production of report cards without inputting of marks for 100,000 students would be extremely challenging, if not impossible,” he said.

Teachers will submit marks in handwritten form, or via computer, but not in a standard format.

In a recent confidential bulletin, the elementary union instructed teachers not to fill in any spreadsheets created by their boards or principals, and “members who entered data into the electronic report card template … before the start of (work-to-rule) should save and print a copy to keep for themselves.

“Then, they should delete the data from the electronic report card template.”

Barrett said he’s hoping the province will issue a “common framework” so that the same information will be sent home to families across the province.

Ontario elementary students receive a progress report in the fall, which does not contain marks, then a mid-year report and a final, which both contain marks.

The job action means students will only have one full report card this school year, and is likely to cause an outcry from parents.

The Ministry of Education saved $40.4 million in salaries during a recent strike by high school teachers in three public boards, and some boards have been asking why that money can’t be put toward hiring report-card help.

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John Hamilton, president of the Ontario Principals’ Council, has previously told the Star it would be “very difficult for our members” to put together report cards on their own.

“The government is aware of that, and the limitations our membership has,” he has said.

Students in Ontario’s Catholic, French Catholic and French public schools are not affected by this job action.

Meanwhile, leaders of four Ontario teacher unions — representing public elementary and secondary teachers, Catholic and French — met last week to plan possible job action for the fall, when all are expected to be in a strike position.