It appears the Ministry of Education may be easing up on class sizes, saying it wants to give families predictability for the upcoming school year by introducing "modest" changes to current class sizes.
Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, spoke today in Scarborough at a parent and educator roundtable ahead of the new school year.
"I am determined to put our students first and listen to those we serve," said Lecce. "Today I want to reassure students and their families that this September class sizes will remain effectively the same as last year."
See: Bigger classes may negatively affect student learning, development
Amendments to Ontario's class size regulation are being made for the 2019-20 school year to reflect up to:
- One additional student, funded on average, per class for students in grades 4 to 8;
- An additional half student per class for students in grades 9 to 12, for a funded average of approximately 22.5 provincially; and
- No changes to class size requirements for students in junior kindergarten to grade 3.
"Our mission remains to land a deal in good faith, that puts our students first, so parents and educators can have the predictability they deserve," added Lecce in a news release.
Ontario is providing $1.6 billion in Teacher Job Protection for school boards between the 2019-20 and 2022-23 school years says the Ministry to help maintain teaching positions so that staffing reductions can be managed through teacher retirements and voluntary leaves.
