email : Webview : July Trustee Update

July Trustee Update – Budget

Friends, I hope your summer feels in full swing.

I wanted to send on a recap of the TDSB budget decision and financial situation. A big thank you to everyone who advocated to increase funding and save programs during the difficult budget discussions that took place.

The TDSB budget was approved in late June and I voted against it. The approved budget included $17 million worth of cuts, including a very problematic $5 million cut to central staff. While school pools, Learn4Life, after-school international languages, and community-permitted programs were all saved, this was only achieved by deferring decisions on fee increases and program cuts until the middle of next school year. There is an ongoing deficit and the TDSB does not have sufficient working reserves at this point. Provincial funding is desperately needed to support our schools, and the wraparound services that we want our schools to continue to have: services like child care, after-school and community programs, and pools! These connect our communities at various ages and stages to learning, growth, and well-being and I am committed to fighting for them.

I sincerely feel the situation at schools across the province – not just the TDSB - is becoming untenable due to the ongoing provincial underfunding. You can read a recent article outlining the challenges school boards across the province face here: Several school boards projecting deficits in 'very difficult budget year' - The Trillium

I will be knocking on doors in our community this summer to discuss these issues with as many people as I can directly, I wish to hear your ideas for ways forward. I am anticipating some very difficult discussions in the fall.

In the meantime, there are several areas where I would encourage advocacy this summer, I have included worthwhile actions below and some resources for the summer months.

Lastly, I wish to thank the many education workers, parents, and volunteers (including the many high school students!) who contributed to end-of-year events, fun fairs and graduations. The thoughtfulness and care that went into these events was very apparent and truly makes a difference in our community. An additional thank you to the volunteers who will be tending to the many school gardens across our community all summer.

Please take care,

-Sara

Sara Ehrhardt
TDSB Trustee, Toronto-Danforth

Sara at Pride

Sara at Neighbours Together for Canada Day

Sara at Emdaabiimok Ave. renaming

Emergency Numbers at Schools

Here are some important safety numbers if you see anything of concern on school property over the summer – for emergencies please always call 911

TDSB Security Operation Centre: 416-395-4620

TDSB Student Safety Survey - this is an anonymous way for TDSB students to tell someone about personal or school safety concerns.

Toronto Crime Stoppers: call 416-222-TIPS to report a crime

Summer Resources – Well-Being Guide

The TDSB Summer well-being guide is available in over 20 languages, it includes free activities and mental health resources: Well-Being Guide (tdsb.on.ca)

Take Action

Save Ontario’s Science Centre

I share our communities shock, sadness, and frustration by the abrupt closure of the Ontario Science Centre, please take action by signing the letter available at SAVE ONTARIO'S SCIENCE CENTRE (savesciencecentre.com) and calling the Premier’s Office at 416-325-1941. A rally is being planned for July 14, location and time will be available on their website.

Campaign to Combat Heat Stress

The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) has launched a campaign to combat heat stress in the workplace , the campaign includes a petition to demand legislation for heat limits in the workplace. Such legislation could benefit education workers and by consequence our schools and students. Note there is currently no upper temperature limit for school operations, and no targeted provincial funding to support schools to include air conditioning or improve ventilation.

Board News

You can access agendas and minutes for all committee meetings once they are posted and information on delegating during committee meetings. Our final board meeting of the school year was held on June 19 and included the budget. Several items on the board agenda were deferred, the next board meeting will be August 28. The August 28 board agenda should become available on Friday, August 23.

Social Media Litigation

Earlier this year, the TDSB, together with a growing number of school boards, announced a lawsuit against tech giants Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook and Instagram), Snap Inc. (SnapChat), and ByteDance Ltd. (TikTok). While still in its early stages, this litigation calls on social media giants to make their products safer, to compensate the Boards for the disruption to students’ fundamental right to education. School boards will not be responsible for any costs related to the lawsuit unless a successful outcome is reached. To learn more about the lawsuit and to follow developments, you can visit and sign up for updates at the Schools for Social Media Change Alliance at www.schoolboardsforchange.ca.

In Our Community

Naming Ceremony Emdaabiimok

I was thrilled to join community leaders and students from Kapapahmahchakwew school for the naming ceremony for Emdaabiimok Avenue (formerly Lower Coxwell Avenue) Translated from Anishinaabemowin, Emdaabiimok (Em-DAH-bee-muck) means “where the road goes to the water.” A sincere thank you to Councillor Fletcher for championing this renaming.

Morse Community Quilt

The Morse Community Quilt is on display at Fabric Spark until July 7! Fabric Spark is located at 1992 Danforth Avenue (near East Lynn Park). The ENTIRE quilt was created by the school from fabric scraps that would have otherwise ended up in the landfill.

Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove®
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

5050 Yonge St.
Toronto, Ontario | M2N 5N8 CA

This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.