August 9, 2020
Today, on the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples we recognize and celebrate the diverse cultures and important contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. This year's theme is Covid-19 and indigenous peoples’ resilience. A virtual celebration will be held by the UN on August 10th at 9am - 11am (EST), featuring an interactive panel celebrating innovation and resilience.
This past week was exceptionally busy in the TDSB, with a week-long review and revisions to the Return-to-School Plans following the Ministry of Education's unexpected announcement on July 30th to have elementary schools open full-time with full-sized classes and limited PPE protocols. A large number of parents and school councils have written to myself and the Board to express dismay, ask questions, provide feedback, and advocate for increased funding and safer protocols. I am still working through responses to the huge volume of emails but I want to say thank-you for your voice and advocacy - it is important and we believe it is being heard by the Province. Through the week trustees and staff took several steps to support this advocacy:
- We asked Toronto Public Health to provide a public statement on the Ministry's new return to school plan - they responded with a statement emphasizing smaller class sizes.
- We asked staff to meet with Ministry staff to request that our original return-to-school model, with smaller class sizes, be funded instead of the full class model. On Friday Ministry staff indicated they are willing to work with Boards and will take our request back to the Province for consideration.
- Trustees submitted the following motions for consideration to support school reopening:
- The Finance Committee built a Covid-support budget over the last months, including using a maximum available deficit, to ensure we purchase proper PPE, implement public health approved safety protocols, and maximize hiring additional staff. As provincial funding comes to the Board we will continue to maximize this deficit to hire staff and maximize resources.
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Return to School Ward Forums
There are several opportunities across the Board to attend online (Webex) Ward Forums with discussions about Return to School plans:
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PIAC & PCEO Summer Conversation Series
As we approach the return to school, the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) and the Parent and Community Engagement Office (PCEO) have partnered to continue their joint Conversation Series with a number of online sessions for parents and caregivers.
- Restore Calm, weekly Mondays and Wednesdays, August 12-26, 7:30 – 8:30 a.m
- Safe Reopening of Schools, August 13, 6:30-8:30 p.
- Fathering/Grandfathering/Caregiving in a Heightened Racialized Environment, August 18, 6:30-8 p.m.
- Talking Teens: Getting Them Out of Bed and Ready for School, August 20, 6:30-8 p.m.
- Healing from Racialized Trauma, August 24, 6:30-8 p.m.
- Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being during the Transition Back to Learning, August 27, 6:30-8 p.m.
Visit https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Community/How-to-Get-Involved/Conversations-Series to learn more about each session. Hold the dates for now. Web links for access will be added closer to the date of each session.
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Returning to School - A Guide to the Safe Reopening of the TDSB
The TDSB has been working with Toronto Public Health since the beginning of the pandemic and has incorporated many of their suggested public health measures into our return to school plans. Recently, TPH expressed concerns on the Ministry of Education plan to return to full size elementary classes. We continue to work with the Ministry to explore options to lower elementary class sizes. As we explore these different options, it’s important to note that, depending on funding, other strategies may have to be considered, such as shortening the school day, reassigning teachers from non-classroom roles and lowering class sizes only in areas deemed at risk by TPH. While school boards, including the TDSB, have received additional funding for staff, this limited funding is not enough to cover the requirements in a system our size, let alone the entire province. We continue our advocacy. In the days and weeks ahead, a more complete and comprehensive guide will be developed that will be shared with staff, students, parents, education partners and the community. Additional documents and resources for staff will be created to accompany the guide and provide the necessary information for implementation.
Please note three motions will come to our August 18th Special Board - One by Trustees Story and Chernos Lin, Covid-19 Specific Needs, advocating for a significant number of supports for operating and capital (infrastructure) budgets to help in the transition back to school for September, 2020; a second by Trustees Aarts and Chernos Lin re Masks for All Students, Staff and Visitors, to include the requirement for masks/face coverings indoors for all TDSB students, staff, and visitors, with appropriate medical exemptions and exploring alternatives, such as face shields for students who are unable to wear face masks; and a third motion by Trustees Aarts and Story to Support ActiveTO and Active School Travel, promoting active school travel and advocating for safe transportation infrastructure will be particularly important this fall as uncertainty about bussing and transport may cause more families to drive to school. Active school travel has many benefits for students and their families but additional cars in school zones pose an increased risks to student and staff safety..
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2020-21 Budget
On August 6th Trustees approved the 2020-21 operating budget, which includes additional deficit spending to support a safe and effective return to school in September. The budget includes investments beyond Ministry funding to ensure proper PPE, TPH recommended cleaning and safety protocols, and additional staffing.
Given the uncertainty around how the pandemic will progress, COVID-19 budget impacts have only been included for the first four months of the school year, projected to be $22.5M. The total deficit, projected to be $29.3M, is within the Legislated 1% deficit and is possible this year by borrowing against reserves. As required the Board must submit the budget by Aug 19th with a deficit recovery plan.
On July 30, the Ministry of Education announced $309M of additional COVID-19 funding across the province. While this funding helps offset some COVID-19 costs, the TDSB continues to request that the Ministry provides the additional funding required to support all costs of re-opening safely next year, including models developed by TDSB staff that include smaller class sizes.
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