Parent Registration Survey
Returning to School - A Guide to the Safe Reopening of the TDSB
The staff report has been discussed at a Special Committee Meeting on Tuesday, August 4 with discussion continued at the special meeting on August 6. Trustees will be meeting on August 18th for another COVID-19 specific special meeting.
Thank you for your continued advocacy, very helpful input, patience and trust in the staff of our Board who have been working tirelessly to create a plan that keeps our students and staff safe and learning.
The TDSB has been working with Toronto Public Health since the beginning of the pandemic and has incorporated their suggested public health measures into our return to school plans. Recently, TPH expressed concerns specifically with regard to full size elementary classes, which were prescribed by the Ministry of Education. Currently, we are working 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.
Please note two notices of Motion will come to our August 18th Special Board - One by Jennifer Story and Rachel Chernos Lin re Covid-19 Specific Needs advocating for a significant number of supports to help in the transition back to school for September, 2020; and one by Michelle Aarts and Rachel Chernos Lin re Masks for All Students, Staff and Visitors include the requirement for masks indoors for all students, staff, and visitors, with appropriate medical exemptions and exploring alternatives, such as face shields for students who are unable to wear face masks.
TDSB Trustees Approve Budget for 2020-21 School Year
On Thursday's meeting Trustees approved the 2020-21 operating budget, which includes additional investments to support the safe and effective return to school in September beyond Ministry funding causing us to create a deficit budget.
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. The total impact (to both expenditures and revenues) for September to December 2020 is projected to be $22.5M.
The TDSB’s 2020-21 operating budget is projected to be approximately $3.4B. School boards are required to pass a balanced operating budget each year. This year, the deadline has been extended to August 19, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the late release of Ministry funding.
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.
As per Ontario Regulation 280/19, school boards can have a deficit of up to the lesser of 1% of the school board’s operating revenue or the accumulated surplus from the previous year. As the TDSB’s projected deficit ($29.3M) is primarily due to additional COVID-19 costs, the budget plan uses reserves to offset the deficit and balance the budget. As required by the Ministry, a deficit recovery plan has been developed. Click here https://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Business-Services/Budgets-and-Financial-Statements/2020-21-Budget.
Toronto Public Health & Ontario’s Back to School Plan
TDSB Summer Conversation Series
As we approach the return to school, PIAC and the Parent and Community Engagement Office have partnered to continue the 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.m.
- 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.