“My School Does Not Have a Full-Time Special Education EA To Support Over 1000 Students.”

Currently, I’m teaching three classes of 30 high school English students, and it has highlighted to me the desperate need for more funding in Ontario schools. Due to a lack of funding, my school does not have a full-time special education EA to support over 1000 students. So, we have one Special Education Resource teacher who manages all of the needs and support for all of the students with IEPs in our school. This is not enough.

This has led to direct lack of support for students who need 1-on-1 support during school hours. When a student needs access to their IEP accommodations (such as verbatim scribing), and I am juggling 29 other students in a classroom, access to a qualified professional in a resource room is crucial to get a student on track. Currently, I have a number of students whose education is stagnating because of this lack of special education staff. It is necessary to increase funding to Ontario schools to support our most vulnerable students when they need it most.

– OSSTF District 12 TTBBU
Central Toronto Academy